Touhou Illusion Fantasy: Memories of the Heavens
by MiharuAmami
Summary: My name's Miharu Amami. I used to be a normal teenager living in Minatojima. That all changed one day though, when a lady with a pink parasol pushed me through a gap and into another world! With youkai, vampires, rampaging gods, and even more craziness. How am I going to survive in this new place? And what's with being mistaken as this Eldest Daughter?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Touhou. If I did... it probably wouldn't be as good as it is.

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My name is Amami Miharu, age 16, the heavenly ocean under the beautiful clear sky. I lived in Minatojima and went to the local high school there in class 3-F. This is my story of Gensokyo, the Land of Illusions and Fantasy, and the world that resides in the clouds

**BGM: Night Sakura of Dead Spirits (Touhou 13: Ten Desires)**

The light seeped through the shutters of my window in a rainbow of colors. I opened up the shutter wide to see the sun rise from the ocean creating a wonderful sunrise. "Miharu! It's time to wake up!"

"Yes mother." I replied through the door, sparing one last glance at the ocean before getting ready for school. I pulled on my school uniform, a white blouse with a red bow on the collar and a blue bow on the back, a plain blue skirt reaching mid-thigh, my lace up boots, and put my black hat over my long blue hair.

"Miharu, I've put out the containers and your bag that you can take to school. Make sure there isn't one speck of dust when I get back."  
"Yes mother." I said emotionless, "I will make sure the house in tip-top shape when you get home."  
"That's my Miharu." My mother said before going to her job. My mother is a famous actress and as such, has no time to be at home with me. Mother expected me to be perfect in every way, taking care of myself and the house, and with no flaws at all. I'm expected every day to sweep, clean, and dust every square centimeter before she gets home from work. Even though she gets tons of money from her job, she only spends it on herself, barely leaving any food or expenses to me.

I went to inspect what's left for me to eat. _That's what I get?_ I think to myself, looking upon what's left. All that was there was one measly rice ball. I looked at the clock on the upper wall. The clock had been long broken, forever set half an hour behind. "7:00..." I muttered to myself, grabbing the rice ball, my school bag, and money before setting out to school.

I arrived at my high school after an hour and a half of walking through the city, half an hour late. "Kuso! If only she had left enough money for the bus this wouldn't be happening." Sighing to myself I walked to the school gates. Through the corner of my eye I thought I saw a pink parasol in the breeze. I looked around before shaking my head. _I must be seeing things._ "Excuse me," I addressed the guard, "I go to this school and am running a little late. My name's Amami Miharu" I said handing the guard my I.D. The guard looked down at me with blue eyes and short green hair. Finally the gates opened. "Thank you," I said to the guard before running into the school.

Let me say Kamishirasawa-sensei wasn't exactly pleased with me, being a pretty strict history teacher. I like Kamishirasawa-sensei though, in fact, she even has us call her Keine-sensei instead of Kamishirasawa! She's very protective of the students at my school, and while at times strict, is a good person with good intentions. That didn't stop her from giving me detention though. The lunch bell rings loudly, and the swarm of students leave the classroom. I looked longingly at the other students before getting out my riceball. "Here," I heard a voice say. "Have some of my lunch with me." I looked up to see a classmate of mine handing me a bento box. I smiled at her. "Thanks."

"No problem!" the student said cheerfully. "My name is Usami Renko, but you can just call me Renko." I looked up at Renko-san. Renko-san was wearing a black hat, tie, white suit, a brown dress, and had short brown hair and brown eyes. " Nice to meet you Renko-san. My name is Amami Miharu."

"Miharu, eh. That's a nice name. It means beautiful clear sky, right?"

"That's right. Renko means lotus child, doesn't it?"  
"Correct! Hey, do you want to meet my friend?" I thought about it for a moment, before quickly agreeing with Renko-san. "I would love to, Renko-san."

"Great! And you can drop the honorifics Miharu." Renko-san said energetically, leading me up the stairs to the roof. "Ah, Renko, I was waiting for you. I see you brought a friend." I looked up at Renko-chan's friend. She wore a white mob-cap with a purple dress and long blonde hair. "It's nice to meet you," I said to her, introducing myself, "My name is Amami Miharu."

"Han Maribel," She said curtly, "Nice to meet you too Amami-san." We ate our meals while talking about various topics. "So do you have any clubs Miharu?"  
"Not currently, Renko-chan."

"You should join our club then! The Sealing club is a club for the supernatural!"  
"Don't push Amami-san to join Renko." Maribel-san said while chuckling. "It would be nice to have another member though."  
"I'll think about it." I said with a smile.

After school we met up in their club room. "So what is the Sealing Club exactly?" I asked them. "We investigate spirits and the what-not" Renko-chan said in a joyful manner. "More specifically, anything about the mystical land of Gensokyo." Maribel-san stated in a calm tone. "Gensokyo?"

"Gensokyo is the land of illusions Amami-san. It is surrounded by the mystical Hakurei Border, which prevents anyone from entering the mystical land."

"Is that so..." I said to myself. I mulled it over for a bit, thinking of what might happen. "Alright," I said to Renko-chan and Maribel-san, "I'll join."


	2. The Sealing Club is Off!

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Touhou. Or anything referenced in this.

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**BGM: Girl's Sealing Club (Ghostly Field Club)**

After agreeing to join the Sealing Club I went there everyday after school and hung out there with Renko-chan and Maribel-san. I talked more with Renko-chan than Maribel-san though, getting a mysterious vibe from her. School was going well, and everything seemed okay. Soon, Renko-chan found something for the Sealing Club to do. "GUYS!" She yelled, opening the clubroom door with a bang. "I heard there's an abandoned mansion on the western side of town! Let's go search for ghosts!"

"An abandoned mansion? You sure that it's abandoned, Renko?"

"Well, yeah! I just picked open the door yesterday and it was TOTALLY wrecked." "You picked open a door!?" I exclaimed in disbelief, staring at Renko-chan. "Well, yeah!" Renko replied, "After all, had to make sure it was abandoned!"

"But isn't that..." I trailed off, "Never mind." "So when are we going, Renko?" _EHH? We already decided about this?_ "How 'bout tomorrow night! It will be a blast I tell you!"

"If you say so Renko, meeting dismissed!"

**BGM: Wandering About a Ghostly Field at Night (Ghostly Field Club)**

We walked towards the abandoned mansion after school, leaving some time for night to fall. "It should be near the abandoned port." Renko-chan stated, hurrying ahead. The abandoned port was shut down quite a while ago, due to an accident that happened there. I don't know what happened exactly, but I heard a lot of people were killed in the accident and the port was shut down. We walked through Minatojima towards the abandoned port quickly. "This field... It wasn't here before..." We had approached a field of tall grass, the trees surrounding it casting eerie shadows on the ground. "I'm pretty sure an artificial island shouldn't have fields of grass..." I stated, also bewildered at the field. "Well we need to get through here, so let's go quickly." I nodded, still feeling uneasy about it though. As we walked through the field, night came seemingly faster than expected, until the field was covered in the darkness. We got out our flashlights and continued walking through the deathly still field. _!_ "Did you hear that?" I said in a low tone to Maribel-san and Renko-chan. "Hear what?" Renko-chan replied, looking around. "N-never mind." I replied, continuing through the field quickly. "KYAAAAAH!" Renko-chan and I screamed, shocked by the rumble of thunder that had sounded. "We better hurry you two," Maribel-san said, seemingly unaware of the weather, "We wouldn't want to get lost." I looked at Maribel-san's face, only to see half of it hidden in the shadows. Next thing we knew, it started raining, the thunder getting louder and more common, and lightning striking in the distance. There it is!" I hear Renko-chan shout, pointing towards the mansion that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"R-renko-chan, are you sure we want to go in there?" I stuttered, staring at the mansion. The mansion looked like it came straight out of a horror story, even with a creepy graveyard in front of it. The mansion looked as if it had 3 floors with an attic and maybe a cellar, but it was hard to tell from the outside. The mansion was seemingly split into 3 parts, each connected by the first and second floors and with a tower on the third floor, the middle one being the largest. The mansion looked like it was in shambles, with boards and shingles scattered everywhere, the stairs leading up to it missing planks, some columns on the deck looking like they could crumble into dust at the slightest touch. "Yeah..." Renko-chan declared determinedly, walking straight into the graveyard. "R-renko-chan..." I stuttered, hurrying after her."Kuh kuh kuh, it's only an abandoned mansion, right?" I hear Maribel-san mutter quietly to herself. "M-maribel-san?" I question, staring at her nervously, "Are you alright? You seem... different..."

"I'm alright Miharu-san, after all, it's only a haunted mansion." _'Miharu-san?' She never calls me that... Something's off... _

We walked through the graveyard, reaching the front door. "I already unlocked it." Renko stated, "So let's go in."  
"Especially if this storm gets worse. We wouldn't want to be stuck inside, would we Renko?" Renko pushed open the french doors with a loud creak, as we stepped inside the abandoned mansion, the lightning touching the top tower.

**BGM: Magical Girl Crusade (Ghostly Field Club)**

We looked upon the mess of the mansion, tiles gone, everything was completely decimated apart from some of the walls. The room we entered was humongous in size, with decrepit pillars holding up the arching ceiling. The floor tiles were faded and worn, and broken glass where the windows used to be scattered the floor. I looked towards the ceiling in curiosity. _!_ I screamed, looking at the grotesque picture hanging from the ceiling. The mural depicted a grotesque creature, made of 3 heads and a disfigured body of a girl. Three heads protruded from all the wrong places, there eyes glowing and mouths hanging open, while the skeleton of a girl was held up by it's arms and feet, which were twisted backwards and on all fours. As we looked upon the disturbing image, a strange noise was sounded throughout the halls, echoing loudly. "Gah!" Renko-chan exclaimed, looking slightly afraid. "Ummm..." I started to say, "Let's just go to another room now, right?"

"Yeah..." As we started to move, an earthquake echoed throughout, shaking the floor, throwing us against the wall. "KYAAAH!" I scream, covering my head and staying against the wall, "What's happening!?"  
"I... I don't know! An earthquake shouldn't happen suddenly like this!"

"Fu fu fu, it's happening again... Just like my dream..."  
"M-maribel?" Renko-chan calls out, worry in her voice. The ground shook even more, as the intensity increased, creating a fissure in the ground. Renko-chan and I screamed, hugging each other for dear life. The air grew deathly still and all sound stopped, leaving only the fissure creeping towards us and Maribel-san's insane laughter remaining. "Kuh kuh kuh kuh, hah hah hah ha, BWAHAHAHAHA!" She stopped laughing, resuming a blank tone of voice. "Soon this dream shall end. So, shall we move on to the next life?" The ground opened underneath our feet, making us fall into the abyss below.

**BGM: Mary, the Magician (Ghostly Field Club)**

"Oww..." I muttered as I regained consciousness, looking above at the hole we fell through. "Kuso... It's been blocked off by the pillars falling..." I looked around, searching for Renko-chan. "M-Miharu? Is that you?" I looked towards around where I was laying to see Renko lying on the ground. "Renko-chan!" I yelled, hurriedly rushing to her. "Are you okay!?"

"I-I think so."

"Don't push yourself!" I exclaimed as Renko-chan almost fell down. "Use me as support."  
"Thanks. Where are we?" I looked around where we landed, staring at the mess that had appeared. They were all old and broken toys, oddly disfigured. "This seems like a kid's playroom..."

"Come on. let's go. This room is giving me the creeps." We walked out of the room and through the destroyed halls, looking for a way out. "AAAAAAAHH!" I screamed, falling onto my knees. "N-n-no way! Is that... a corpse!?" A bloodied corpse lay on the ground, the head and limbs all missing, the blood staining the floor and walls. I scrambled away from the blood, staring at the corpse. "H-how is this corpse still fresh!? This mansion was abandoned decades ago! The entrance was completely blocked when I came!" I couldn't answer any of Renko-chan's questions as I stared at the maimed corpse, still wet with blood.

"Ah!" Renko-chan exclaimed, turning around wildly. "I thought I felt some..." She looked behind her, face taken of color. "A-a-A GHOST!" She screamed, pointing at a ghostly girl dressed in green with purple hair which was gliding away. "That girl... Her clothes... her body!" I looked at the corpse and back at her. "It's her... It's the corpse!" The ghostly girl glided into a room, beckoning for us to follow her. "I-I-I don't want to go... I just want to get out of here..." I whisper, scared out of my mind. "The layout! It's changed!" At Renko-chan's exclamation I looked up, staring at the hallway. "All the doors! They're gone!" I exclaimed, a slight tremor in my voice. All the doors that layered the hallway were gone, leaving only the door the ghost went through left. "I-I guess we have no choice..." We walked towards the door slowly, reading the label on the door. "A science lab?" I muttered to myself as we entered carefully.

"The door opened slowly with a loud creak as we entered the lab. The walls were covered with vials and the giant table in the middle was covered with a giant white sheet. There was also a creepy anatomical model sitting in the corner, it's eyes staring into the lab coldly. The ghostly girl beckoned for us to remove the sheet from the table. "S-shall we?" I asked Renko-chan nervously. "Well, normally I would say no... but the door is..." I spun around, staring at where we just entered. The doors were sealed shut with what seemed like long black hairs. "Well then... I guess we don't have any choice?" We walked to the table and lifted off the white sheet. On the wooden table was some words crudely carved into the desk. "You will not leave my mansion!" The ghostly girl's face erupted into an insane smile as she disappeared the anatomical model coming to life.

"The model! It's moving!" Renko-chan screamed, backing away from the model. "The hairs! We must break them!" We ran around the table, searching the shelves, the anatomical model close behind. "Ahh!" I yelled as I tripped, falling on the floor. "MIHARU!" Renko-chan yelled, staring at the anatomical model that was inching up behind me. "G-g-get away!" I yelled grabbing a vial that had fallen on the floor, contents still inside and hurling it at the model. The model burst into flames, staying still for a moment while it burned. "Now!" Renko-chan yelled, helping me up. We ran to the door and tried to open it. It's not working!" I exclaimed, "It's too tough!" Renko-chan gasped, dragging us away from the door model slammed into the door, right where we were standing. "The fire!" Renko-chan exclaimed, "It's burning the hairs!" We ran to the other side of the table as the model regained its balance. "Get ready..." I murmured, waiting for the model to make its move. The model ran quickly at us as we ran away from it towards the door again. "Quickly! OPEN UP!" Renko-chan yelled as she busted the door open and we ran outside. "There they are! The stairs!" I yelled, spotting a set of old stairs leading up. We ran towards the stairs, the model coming after us. We got up the stairs quickly and looked around for anything to block the stairs. "There!" Renko-chan pointed towards an old couch. We ran towards it and pushed like crazy, inching it towards the stairs, blocking the model from coming up. "I didn't think you'd make it."

We turned around quickly, staring into the eyes of Maribel-san. "W-who are you!" I exclaimed, asking the emotionless girl. "Give me my friend back!" Renko-chan declared angrily. "Ha ha, HA HA HA HA! 'Give me my friend back?' Haven't heard that one before," Maribel?-san said sarcastically, "You're not leaving this mansion... No... You'll be staying here forever. Just you guys and me, the young mistress of the abandoned mansion."  
"Are you that corpse?" I questioned Maribel?-san. "Ha! You catch on quick. This mansion was my home. Before THEY came. Those damn youkai exterminated my family! But it's alright now. Will you play with me?" Maribel?-san erupted into another insane grin, cackling loudly. "WAIT!" Renko-chan yelled, "I heard about you. Alyal Monochrome, the girl who died in the slaughter of 1915."

"It was a slaughter indeed, everyone dead... Everyone's dead... Ha ha... HAHAHA! I'll take revenge on those pitiful youkai!"  
"But Alyal! Revenge doesn't mean everything. They're probably dead by now. You can go in peace!"  
"I know they're dead... I killed them."

"Then why don't you move on! Why did you have to possess my friend!"

"The thrill of the killing lingers still... I love it... Love it..."

"Miharu! That girl's insane, I don't know if we can talk her out of this..."  
"Alyal, move on! You won't get anything else from this!"

"You're wrong... I refuse to believe you! I. Will. Kill. YOU!" The last thing Renko and I heard was the cackling of Alyal as we drifted into unconsciousness.

**BGM: Strange Bird of the Moon, Illusion of Mysterious Cat (Ghostly Field Club)**

"Miharu! Miharu!" I open my eyes groggy, staring up at the white ceiling. I jumped up, looking around wildly. "Where? What happened?"

"The guard at school saved you two. She saw lights when walking her dog, so she decided to take a look."

"What about Alyal?"  
"I don't know... She's probably still trapped inside the mansion."  
"I see..."

"Guys... I'm sorry." I turned to face the real Maribel-san who looked like she was about to burst into tears. "If only I was strong enough to be able to have broken free of her control..."

"Maribel-san..."  
"No. It's my fault for even bringing us to that mansion. You were right, we should've just stayed home."  
"Guys..." I started, standing up to my full height. "Even though we could've died, even with all that we just went through, I still enjoyed it. That was an once in a lifetime adventure right there, and even if we were scared, I enjoyed it all the same."  
"You're right Amami-san. Let's look upon this event as something special."  
"A mark of our friendship, if you would."  
"Agreed."  
"Yes." We all smiled at each other, vowing to never forget that adventure.

**BGM: Border Between Dream and Reality (Changeability of Strange Dream)**

It was the week after the adventure at the abandoned mansion fiasco. The Sealing Club continued even stronger than before, and school going well for everyone. At home however, tensions were running high between Mother and I. This time, she snapped, and my tolerance as well. "Miharu. Stop going to the Sealing Club."  
"Mother!"  
"It's a bad influence Miharu. You've been neglecting your chores and look at the state of your clothes! Quit now!"  
"I won't! The Sealing Club is the best thing that has ever happened in my whole life!"  
"Miharu, I'm doing what's best for you. Quit the club now!"

'I WON'T!" I yelled, my anger breaking loose. "After Dad left you've made me do all your work! You keep everything for yourself! I hate it! You go out each day to luxury restaurants, hotels, shops, everything! Anything that keeps you away from Minatojima you go to!"  
"It's not like I wanted you in the first place!"  
"What!"  
"My husband wished to adopt a daughter! I hate kids. They're loud, annoying, and obnoxious! If it weren't for my oaf of a husband you'd be stuck in the orphanage where you belong." I was speechless. Fuming,I walked towards the door. "Stop right there missy!"  
"I won't. I'm not leaving the Sealing Club. Good bye... Mrs. Amami." I stated briskly, shutting the door with a loud bang.

**BGM: Interdimensional Voyage of a Ghostly Passenger Ship (Touhou 12: Unidentified Fantastic Object)**

Maribel-san and I were waiting after school in the clubroom for Renko-chan to come. "Where is that lazy girl?" Maribel-san said. "I'm sure she'll be here soon, Maribel-san" I said to her. "Let's hope so." Maribel-san said in a low tone, looking toward the club room doors. Mother... No. Don't think about it. The door then suddenly burst open with a loud bang! "GUYS! COME WITH ME NOW! THERE'S A UFO!" As you can tell, it was Renko-chan, her face bursting with excitement. "Really Renko" Maribel-san said reproachingly, "An Unidentified Flying Object?"  
"Nope!"

"Then what is it, Renko-chan?"

"An Unidentified FANTASTIC Object!" Maribel-san and I sweat dropped at that last comment. I chuckled lightly, "If you say so, Renko-chan." I said with a slight smile. Renko-chan looked at both of us in turn. "Come on you two! It could be related to Gensokyo! Besides, if you don't hurry, It'll be gone before you know it!" Maribel-san let out a long sigh. "Fine then. let's go see this UFO."

Maribel-san and I followed Renko-chan through a forest and to where she supposedly saw this UFO of hers. I couldn't help but be skeptical, I mean seriously. Who would believe that someone saw a UFO? While we were on the way there, Maribel-san suddenly stopped in the middle of the path. "Maribel-san?" I said, walking back towards her. "Are you okay?" I asked, concerned about my friend. "I can… I can feel it!"

"WHAT!" Renko-chan yelled suddenly. "Really Maribel?!"

"Yes! It's near!"  
"What's near! What are you guys talking about!" I exclaimed, more than a little confused at that moment. "Oh right! Miharu, we didn't tell you this yet, did we." I shook my head slightly. "Maribel here," She said , patting Maribel-san on the back, "Can sense where there's the Hakurei Border."  
"But only if we're near enough to it." Maribel-san added in. "So, does that mean that we're near one now?" I asked them. "That is correct Amami-san."

'SEE! I told you that the UFO was related to Gensokyo!"

"As far as we know that could just be a coincidence, Renko."

"Oh really? A Hakurei Border RIGHT around where I saw a UFO? Unlikely."

"In case you didn't notice, just because I can sense it doesn't mean it's near where you saw it." I laughed at their antics. "Come on guys," I said with a smile, "If we don't hurry, we won't get to see that UFO." Renko-chan jerked back in shock. "You're right!" She yelled loudly, "LET'S GO GUYS! FULL STEAM AHEAD!" With that, Renko-chan burst forward running. "Ah! Renko-chan wait up!"  
"Renko! Wait for us!"

**BGM: Bamboo Forest of Full Moon (Touhou 14: Double Dealing Character)**

After running after her for awhile, we finally caught up to Renko-chan, out of breath and panting heavily. "I take it this is where you saw that UFO?" I asked Renko-chan. "Yeah, now let's split up and see if we can find anything."  
"That sounds good to me. Let's go Amami-san."

"Hai." We split up to look around the clearing. The clearing was full of tall grass, more than you could imagine, lightly swaying in the wind, with trees surrounding the edge to mark the forest we came out of. I looked up at the bright blue sky, with barely any hint of clouds in the air. "Umm, I don't see anything, Renko-chan."  
"Well keep on looking then!" I sighed, glancing around the clearing. "What's that?" I said to myself, catching a glimpse of an orange item, protruding from the grass. What's what, Amami-san?"  
"That orange thing," I said, pointing towards it, "Right over there." Maribel-san looked towards where I was pointing and glanced around for a bit. "I don't see anything, Amami-san"

"Are you sure?" I said, looking towards it again. Sure enough, it was still there. "I'm sorry Amami-san, but I don't see any-"

"GUYS LOOK! IT'S COMING!"

Maribel-san and I looked quickly towards the direction of Renko's voice. "No… way." Maribel-san said quietly. I could only nod in wonder. Coming our way was not just one, not just two, but a whole group of UFO's. There were green UFOs, red UFOs, blue UFOs, color changing UFOs, big UFOs, small UFOs, and right in the middle of the UFOs was a glowing sphere of light. The UFOs rushed past us in a whirl, making the grass rustle furiously. As the ball of light went by, I could have sworn I saw a teenage girl with wings wave to me, but before I could make sure, it was gone.

**BGM: Nostalgic Blood of the East ~ Old World (Touhou 8: Imperishable Night)**

"That…"  
"Was…"

"AMAZING!" We all yelled, jumping into the air. "DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU SEE THAT?" Renko-chan yelled with excitement. "That was amazing Renko-chan! I'm so glad you got us to come with you!"  
"Indeed, this was quite an experience." We flopped down into the grass, looking up at the clear sky. "That was…"  
"Yeah. I know." We just lay there for a while, still taking in the sight that just went by. "Well," Maribel-san said, breaking the silence, "I was going to give these to you two later, but considering the sight we just saw, it just seems too good a moment to pass up." She handed us what looked like a cross between a phone and a D.S. "These are COMPS that I made for us. I designed it so that it would work anywhere, even in Gensokyo."  
"Thank you so much!" I said, looking at my new COMP. "Thanks a bunch Maribel!" Renko said, also looking at her COMP. I programmed our numbers in, so now we can contact each other anytime we want. "This is fantastic Maribel-san!' Maribel-san smiled at me, "Please, Amami-san," She said with a grin, "Call me Maribel-chan."  
"Only if you call me Miharu-chan!" The three of us had a good laugh at that.

"Alright… Miharu-chan. We should be getting back now."  
"Yeah, let's go."

"Sounds good to me." We started to leave the clearing, until I caught another glimpse of the orange item. "Miharu? Are you coming?"

"Yeah, just wait a second. I'm goi

ng to check something real quick!" I called back. "If you say so." I walked over to the orange item. On closer inspection, it seemed to be a sword of some kind, with an orange blade and a brown handle. _Why is this here?_ I thought to myself. Looking at it again, I seemed to see a scarlet mist flowing out of it. _This seems like something Renko-chan would want to investigate. Maybe I should bring it back._ I bent over a picked it up. As I did, I felt an electric shock flow through me. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, almost dropping the sword. "Now now," An elegant voice said next to my ear. "Perhaps you are the one." I whirled around to catch a glimpse of a lacy pink parasol, then to be face to face with what could only be described as a gap, with red eyes in it and red ribbons at the ends of it. "Maybe you require a little… push?" I heard the voice say, as I felt a soft hand push me towards the gap. "Now don't worry, I'll be watching you from my gaps." I could only stare as I fell through the gap, catching a glimpse of long blond hair and a pink and purple dress. "MIHARU-CHAN!" I heard Renko and Maribel scream, before falling all the way into the gap.

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**Author's Note: So here is the first real chapter of Touhou Illusion Fantasy: Memories of the Heavens. I hope everyone enjoys! As for anyone disappointed with the Abandoned Mansion fiasco ending, don't worry. I have to admit though, it is kind of a sad ending. That isn't the last we'll see of Alyal. I'd highly advise at least listening to Mary, the Magician while reading this. It's actually a pretty creepy tune. Is the BGM thing annoying? I just have this opinion that music helps to set the mood, and since they're part of the original manuscript that I typed up, they just stayed there. So, for anyone who reads this, please tell me if it's annoying! I'm still not used to the formatting at this website, so I hope the formatting isn't too wonky or anything like , thanks to the game Corpse Party for some of the ideas for the Haunted Mansion fiasco! Oh! And also, COMPs are inspired by Devil Survivor. Oh, and this story is also being made for the NaNoWriMo thing, though I did start a while ago but haven't got very far. Only about 30% through chapter 4.**


	3. Welcome to the Other Side

Disclaimer: I do not own Touhou.  
Also, the previous chapter is... a bit jumpy as I heard. Yeah, it's because I had to add in the whole first half and I really didn't know what to do with it. I might edit later. Still trying to get the hang of writing stuff. This is my first fanfic after all.

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**BGM: Illusionary Night ~ Ghostly Eyes (Touhou 8: IN)**

I woke up in a slight daze, laying on the cold ground. I looked up at the cloudy sky, thinking about the events that just occurred. I lay there for a while, not bothering to move. "Eh?" I started, hearing a slight beeping sound nearby. Is that… I took out the COMP Maribel-chan gave me and opened it up. There was a bright screen saying, TWO NEW EMAIL HAVE ARRIVED FROM: MARIBEL AND RENKO. I smiled, thinking about how wonderful it was to have friends like those two. I opened up Maribel-chan's email.

**BGM: Crimson in the Black Sea ~ Legendary Fish (Touhou 10.5 OST: Arrange Disk)**

TO: Miharu-chan

SBJ: Where are you!

Are you okay, Miharu-chan? We're worried sick back at the clubroom. Please answer quickly! Oh, some advice from me. Look around where you are and try to figure out where you are from the area. Maybe you'll find some sort of clue.

Please answer!

Maribel

I read Maribel-chan's email quickly, grinning as I read it. Taking her advice, I looked around where I was. All I could see was gray. Gray stones, ground, sky, everything was doused of color. I looked around a little more, trying to find anything. Not finding anything useful, I replied to Maribel-chan's email.

TO: Maribel-chan

SBJ: Don't worry about me!

Don't worry Maribel-chan, I'm totally fine. :) I'm not injured or anything, so I'm not too worried. I'm not sure where I am though. Good thing your COMPs work! Thank you SO much for it. It's a good thing you gave them to me then, otherwise I'd have no way to contact you two. I'll email you with any new news if it shows up. Hopefully I'll see you guys soon!

Miharu

**BGM: Skies Beyond Clouds (Touhou 10.5: Scarlet Weather Rhapsody)**

I clicked the send button to send the email to Maribel-chan. Hopefully she'll get it soon. I was about to click on Renko-chan's email, when I heard the faint sound of electricity crackling nearby. I looked up quickly, only to be blinded by the light from a lightning bolt hitting the ground near me. I looked away from the source of the light. When I looked back, there floated a girl with red eyes and short violet-blue hair. The girl wore a red and white shirt, a long black skirt, and a hat with a red bow and two long ribbons extending out of it. She had a red and white shawl wrapped around her arms and blouse. The girl's blouse and shawl also seemed to glow in a scarlet color.

"Eldest Daughter…" She said in a menacing tone, "Where oh where have you been?" I was really confused at this point. _Who's this Eldest Daughter she's talking about? Is she talking to me?_ "Are you talking about me?" I asked, pointing at myself. "Who else would I be talking to?" She asked, still in a menacing tone, "Now Eldest Daughter, will you come quietly with me?" I was taken aback by that question. "Why should I go with you?" I asked, making it sound more like a statement than a question. "I thought you'd say that…" She murmured, "In that case, I'll take you by force!"

**BGM: Crimson in the Black Sea ~ Legendary Fish (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

The girl dashed forward towards me quickly, and thrust forward with a piercing attack that uses her shawl wrapped around her arm like a drill. I barely dodged out of the way, her attack just grazing me. Even though it was only a graze, I could still feel the power in her attack. I tried to run away, but it didn't work. "Yowch! Since when were there invisible walls!" I turned around quickly and dodged another attack. I kept dodging her attacks, only barely getting out of the way each time. She barely gave me any time to catch my breath, much less attack her somehow. Suddenly, instead of dashing towards me, she dashed backwards. I was disoriented for a moment, and by the time I looked up, she had already finished preparing her attack. "Electrostatic…" She declared, launching her attack, "Guided Missile." A bolt of lightning fired from her hand towards me in a straight line. I tried to dodge, but it grazed me.. Unlike her previous attacks though, this one was more powerful, and the mere power from the electricity knocked me down. While recovering, she dashed towards me and went right up close. "This is it," she said calmly, "Dragon Fish's Strike." I closed my eyes, waiting for the blow to come. Am I really going to die?

I heard the sound of metal being hit. I opened my eyes, not feeling any pain. What I saw I just couldn't believe. _The sword!?_ Sure enough, in my hands was the sword I picked up from the field. It must have fallen through the gap with me, and I picked it up without noticing! Even in my head it sounded far-fetched, but that was the only reason I could think of. The girl looked surprised for a moment, before regaining her calm composure. "I was starting to wonder when you'd use it." She stated, taking me by surprise. Does she know something about this sword?

The girl dashed backwards and pulled out what seemed to be a card. "Now it's time to be serious," She declared, "Spell Card! Thunder Sign: Residence of the Thunder God!" "Huh!" I exclaimed, standing still, "What's a Spell Car-AGHH!" I shrieked, avoiding a lightning strike by an inch. I quickly dashed away from where it stroke, seeing a lightning bolt hit where I just stood once again. I looked at the ground to see a circle of light grow brighter. Oh dear. "KYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" I screamed. Just as I though, a lightning bolt stroke right where I was standing, shocking me greatly. I flew across the area, bounced off the invisible wall, and fell down, dazed. I got back up, and waited for the next one to strike. Huh? Why is there a pause? Unless they can only strike in sets of three before recharging? I looked down again to see the telltale signs of the lightning, I quickly stepped away and started to think some more. It always strikes where I am, so the strikes are homing. If so… I waited till the next group of lightning bolts and walked calmly forward towards the girl, the lightning just hitting behind me. After the third strike I dashed towards the girl and whacked her on the head with the swords and captured her Spell Card. "Gah!" She exclaimed, jumping backwards.

"Tch. Just because you captured that Spell Card, doesn't mean you'll capture this one!" She declared, drawing out another Spell Card. "Spell Card! Spine Sign: Acanthodii of the Thunder Clouds!" Dammit! Another one!? I quickly dashed away from her and kept an eye out for any projectiles. The girl floated up into the air. The electricity gathered around the girls body, creating what looked like an electric porcupine. Damn! If I touch that, it'll probably be game over for me. With the invisible walls, I should be careful. Luckily, she wasn't going very fast, so I was able to walk backwards, but soon enough, I hit the invisible wall. ! Kuso! What now, what now, what now! "No time to think about this now, just jump!" I yelled, jumping up into the air. I dashed up into the air, hitting my head on yet ANOTHER invisible border. Luckily, I didn't fall. No time like the present! DASH! I attempted to dash forward in the air, the girl following closely behind. To my pleasant surprise, it worked! "I have no idea how that just happened, but no time to complain about it! I looked backwards to see the electricity die out around her. Gotta strike now before the cycle restarts! I dashed down towards the girl, holding the sword above my head. The electricity ran out, and the girl fell to the floor. "It's time to end this!" I yelled, coming down from my dash. "Let's do this!" I yelled, bringing the sword down on the girl's head. The girl barely had any time to look surprised before I bonked her, sending her across the stage and capturing her Spell Card.

**BGM: The Gensokyo the Gods Loved (Touhou 10 Mountain of Faith)**

The girl fell to the ground, laying still there. I stumbled backwards a little into a rock wall. "No way…" I muttered, sliding down the wrong. "S-s-sugoi! I DID IT! I ACTUALLY DID!" I yelled to the world, celebrating wildly inside my head. "Yes, I guess you did." ! I turned around to the girl. "Don't tell me you have ANOTHER Spell Card," I hissed at her. The girl shook her head slowly. "While I do have some more, I don't have enough power to use them after my battle with a friend." She smiled slightly at me before standing back up again. "Now then, let's talk over a cup of tea shall we?" _Eh!?_

The girl disappeared in a flash of lightning, only to return with some tea. "I'm sorry," she said, not sounding very apologetic at all, "All I could find is Earl Gray tea. I hope you don't mind." _EH!? What with this girl? Trying to kill me one moment, next one having tea with me?_ As if reading my thoughts, the girl said calmly, "Don't worry. It's not poisoned." I walked over reluctantly and took the tea she offered. I took a little sip of the tea. It had a… distinct flavor? "You find the tea interesting do you not? The added oil extracted from the rind of a bergamot orange gives it a unique taste and aroma, much like you." I did a spit take, making the tea I was drinking splatter everywhere. "And what gave that away?" I said, refilling my tea cup. The tea was surprisingly delicious. "Oh I don't know, maybe the fact you seemed to know nothing about danmaku battles and you still won?" I was about to ask what danmaku battles are, only to be interrupted by the girl continuing to talk. "Anyhow, I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Nagae Iku, the beautiful scarlet cloth."  
"Amami Miharu. Pleased to meet you Nagae-san. Etto… Why are you the beautiful scarlet cloth?"  
"That's just a title Amami-san." Nagae-san said curtly. "Now onto more important matters… Are you a human?" "EH!?" I exclaimed in shock, "Why wouldn't I be a human?" Nagae-san looked at me blankly before answering. "Well, I'm an oarfish youkai."  
"WHAA!?" I yelled in shock, almost dropping the tea. "A youkai?!"

"Of course! You're from the Human Village aren't you? Don't youkai visit often?" I was silent for a moment, looking down at my tea. "Nagae-san…" I said softly, my hair covering my face, "Where am I?"

"Why you're in Gensokyo, Amami-san. How could you not know that?"

**BGM: Darkening Dusk (Touhou 10.5: SWR)  
**Note: These couple of paragraphs are the explenation about Gensokyo. If you want to, skip to the next BGM.

_Gensokyo. The land of illusions and fantasy. Somehow, this is where I've ended up._ "So…" I muttered, talking to myself more than to Nagae-san, "I'm inside the Hakurei Border?" Iku looked at me in shock. "You're from the outside?!" She questioned quickly, "But.. How could you have gotten in?"

"This may sound crazy," I started, thinking to myself about how crazy what I was about to say sounded even in my head, "But I was pushed through a gap by a lady with a pink parasol." Nagae-san looked away, muttered something I couldn't quite figure out. "Yu...ri Ya...mo"

"Excuse me?" I questioned her, "What did you just say?" She looked back towards me and took a sip of her tea. "Oh it's nothing. Anyway…" Nagae-san said hurriedly, changing the subject quickly, "I better tell you more about Gensokyo then." I nodded, wanting to learn more about this mystical place that Maribel and Renko-chan were so eager to find. "Gensokyo wasn't always like this. Gensokyo used to just be a barren, haunted region of a land outside of the Hakurei Border called Nihhon. The youkai that lived in Gensokyo began to terrorize the surrounding lands, forcing humans to exorcise and exterminate them. The battle between the humans and youkai continued until 1884 A.D, when Gensokyo was sealed off from the rest of the world by the creation of the Hakurei Border. To this day there has been little contact with the outside world, that is until YOU showed up." I gulped nervously, gesturing for Nagae-san to continue. "Anyway, enough about Gensokyo's history, let's talk about in this modern age. Gensokyo is at least some tens of kilometers in diameter. No one knows of the real size of Gensokyo however. Some of the most notable features of Gensokyo are Youkai Mountain which houses kappa, tengu, and the Moriya Shrine."  
"The Moriya Shrine?"  
"A loli god, a sumo god, and a high school student shrine maiden live there. Now do you want me to continue?"  
"I'll shut up now."

"There's also the Forest of Magic, the Bamboo Forest of the Lost houses Eientei, Misty Lake, the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the Human Village in the fertile valley, and the Sanzu River which separates Gensokyo from Higan. While Gensokyo is the main land, there are many areas which aren't actually part of Gensokyo itself, such as the aforementioned Higan, the Netherworld, Makai, the abandoned underground hell, and the Celestial Realm. That is the big overview, do you have any questions?" To the Netherworld I do! I half wanted to ask her to say that slower, but I decided against that. I shook my head and took out my COMP. Nagae-san looked at the COMP strangely. "What's that thing you're holding Amami-san?"

"Oh this?" I said, holding my COMP up for her to see, "This is my COMP. My friend from the outside gave it to me. I use this to contact her over long distance." I opened up Renko-chan's email. Just looking at her email made me laugh to kingdom come.

**BGM: Crimson in the Black Sea ~ Legendary Fish (Touhou 10.5 OST: Arrange Disk)**

TO: Miharu-chan

SBJ: WHERE R U!?

MiMi-chan! Where RU Last time I check U were right behind us, next moment UR POOF! Pushed into a gap by a crzy lady with an awesome parasol! 8O WHERE RU!? ANSWR ME NOW! GAAH! DON'T GET HIT BY A FLYING UMBRELLA! ANSWR SOON! HRRY BACK! X(

Renko

TO: Renko-chan

SBJ: XD

LOL Love your email. I'm fine, don't worry. Guess what! I'm in Gensokyo! YEAH! I'll try to collect as much information as possible. In fact, I'll give you all the info I know right now as a document. Did you know these things can do that? Tell Maribel-chan that these are so awesome! See you soon!

Miharu

**BGM: Flawless Clothing of the Celestials (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

"Well now you're done sending that email to your friend, let's move back onto the subject on hand."Nagae-san announced as soon as I clicked send,"You're going to have a hard time surviving in Gensokyo. Even if you managed to beat me right then, you'll probably be dead soon against a bunch of other youkai in Gensokyo."

"So I take it you're one of the weaker ones." I joked, taking a stab at Nagae-san's words. She was silent for a moment, taking a large sip of her tea. "Anyway… someone'll have to teach you about danmaku. I would go to Eldest Daughter but…" Nagae-san trailed off, looking up towards the monochrome sky. "Etto…" I started, getting Nagae-san's attention, "You keep bringing up this Eldest Daughter person," _In fact, you mistook her for me…_ "Who is she?" Nagae-san stared at me for a moment before looking back up at the sky once again. "Tenshi Hinanawi." Nagae-san said suddenly. "Tenshi's the eldest daughter of the Hinanawi clan."  
"The Hinanawi clan?"

"A clan of celestials living in heaven. The celestials are humans that live in human for eternity, separated from the rest of the world and the cycle of resurrection. They are essentially hermits that had long pursued ascetic knowledge, but are divided between those who achieved immortality and ascended to heaven and those who attained enlightenment and entered Nirvana. The former type of celestials have physical bodies, but the others have to borrow someone elses body to descend from the heavens. A celestial's body is poison to a youkai such as myself, and as such have relatively nothing to fear of on earth. However, celestials aren't truly immortal. They defeat the shinigami that come to collect their souls, therefore extending their lifespan."  
"Wow… That's a lot of info you have on celestials Nagae-san."  
"Of course! As an envoy of the Dragon Palace, I have the job to observe the mood of the atmosphere."  
"And what does this have to do about celestials again?"

"Don't question it Amami-san. Anyway, Tenshi Hinanawi is the Thoughtless Not-so-Thoughtless Daughter of the Heavens, Young Mistress of Bhavagra. Yes, I know that is quite contradictory. It was three months ago, when Tenshi decided to cause a disaster upon Gensokyo by gathering the thought energy of Gensokyo's inhabitants to create a massive earthquake out of her boredom. Eventually the incident got solved, being called the Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, after the scarlet clouds that were the forms of the gathered thought energy. However, two days ago Tenshi disappeared, taking with her the Sword of Hisou, a celestial relic. The Sword of Hisou has the ability to exploit an enemy's weakness, no matter what might be happening by converting the opponent's spiritual nature into a scarlet mist, then into a form able to be seen by the naked eye. Once the enemy's nature has been unveiled, the sword will change itself to channel the most effective characteristics to counter that nature by taking form of the weather."

"So you're looking for her to stop a potential disaster?"  
"Possibly, though I don't see how she could create one with the sword now."  
"And why's that Nagae-san?" Nagae-san took a large sip from her cup of tea before staring straight at me. "Because now you've come to Gensokyo," She declared, refilling her tea, "Carrying with you the Sword of Hisou."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry about the shortness of this chapter! So now the major point has been revealed and we've finally arrived in Gensokyo! Yeah, Iku really isn't an exciting character. Considering she's only shown up in 10.5 and 12.3, there isn't much to go on. Though I guess it could be worse, I mean think about Kotohime! Or Rikako for that matter, or a lot of the PC-98 characters. First time trying to write a spell card battle. This one is more fashioned about the fighting game style, and I'm working out some kinks on how to talk about the actual danmaku battles. I have a new respect for authors everywhere. I think? My writing has gotten better since I started, I've started getting into the hang of it. I think Chapter 2 may also be a little, not fluid, but I'm trying my best! And it's really a pain having to go through and re-italic and bold things. Ugh.**


	4. Hakugyokurou

Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou. Or Fate/Stay Night which I obviously reference.

* * *

**BGM: Flawless Clothing of the Celestials (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

! "This is the Sword of Hisou!?" But it look so..." I trailed off, trying to think of an adequate explanation to give Nagae-san, but all reasons came up short. "On second thought I totally agree with you." Nagae-san managed a small smile. "The fact that you have the relic bothers me," Nagae-san murmured thoughtfully._ Hey!_"Not that I think that you'd ever misuse the sword Amami-san," _Oh... Oops. Then what bothers you so much?_ "It's simply how Tenshi managed to lose such a precious relic. Even a careless girl like her knows about the importance of the relic."  
"Ah, Maybe she got beat in one of those danmaku battles you were talking about?"  
'Please, she's not that weak. Besides, she has a high pain tolerance."  
"Oh? And why's that?" "You see... She's a bit of a masochist." The tea I was drinking sprayed everywhere. _What the!?_ Gaping, I fumbled through my next sentence, "A masochist!?"  
"Indeed." _... I have nothing to say to that._

"So... You were talking about having someone teach me about danmaku battles?" I said hurriedly, changing the subject quickly. "Oh yes, I was thinking of going to Kamishirasawa-san's place. She's a history teacher at the Human Village."

"Huh? Kamishirasawa-sensei? That's the name of my teacher from the outside world."

"Oh really? Hmmm... Maybe for every person in Gensokyo there's a counterpart in the outside world" Nagae-san muttered silently to herself. "Anyway, I should take you to Keine's place then. Right now she's probably teaching, so I'll take you to the Human Village."

"Ok, sounds good to me Nagae-san. Will we have to walk there?"

"Yes, we'll have to walk. Currently we're in the Skies Beyond the Clouds. We'll have to go to Hakugyokurouu for a slight detour though. In fact..." Nagae-san trailed off, a thoughtful look appearing on her face. "Anyway, let's go to Hakugyokurouu."

**BGM: The Capital City of Flowers in the Sky (Touhou 7: Perfect Cherry Blossom)**

I was really bored. Not because I didn't find exploring Gensokyo boring or anything like that, but because all we've done for what seemed to be 5 hours was walk down a gray stone path with gray clouds surrounding us everywhere. Sure, Nagae-san and I were in the Skies Beyond the Clouds, but couldn't there be anything exciting to look at? Nagae-san's voice took me out of my thoughts and back into real life. "Well we're almost at Hakugyokurouu. I've arranged for a friend to take us the rest of the way in." _Is that so? looking around all I can see are clouds. _"There they are now." Nagae-san exclaimed, gliding towards the two figures that were approaching. "Yuyuko and Youmu-chan, it's nice to see you again. Amami-san, this is Yuyuko and Youmu-chan."  
"Hello!"

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you guys too." I greeted them, "My name as you probably know already, is Miharu Amami."  
"Youmu Konpaku, the Half-human Half-ghost Gardener of the Azure Sky, the Kirisute Gomen, and Half-baked Half-spirit with Desire for Death. Call me Youmu."

"Yuyuko Saigyouji, the Innocent Snowy Elegant Stationary Dreaming Ghostly Girl in the Netherworld Tower from the Calamitous Nirvana. If you want, you can call me Yuyuko-sama!"

"... Those are some long titles you guys have there." Yuyuko-sama was wearing a light blue and white kimono with dark blue trim and cloud and moon designs, and a blue mob-cap on the front of a hitaikakushi with a red ghost insignia. She also had maroon eyes, short wavy pink hair, and was surrounded by several formless ghosts, one carrying a small blue lantern. Youmu was wearing a dark green and white dress with several ghost insignias along the edges and breast pocket, and a black ribbon placed off-center on her short silver hair. Youmu has dark blue eyes and carries a katana with a cherry blossom insignia and flower attached and a wakizashi, and accompanying her is a formless phantom as big as Youmu herself.

"Ok everyone, enough talking!" Yuyuko-sama exclaimed in a carefree voice, "Let's get back to my place and have something to eat! After all, a ghost that comes early, eats until full!"_... Wait what? _"Yuyuko-sama! Please refrain from such comments in front of guests!"

"Don't be so uptight Youmu-chan."

"Indeed Youmu! Ah! Did you make the food yet?"  
"But you only just asked me to..."

"Well then, let's get back home now!" I laughed quietly to myself and leaned towards Youmu. "Don't worry about the food Youmu. Being a freeloader and all, I'll help with the cooking." I whispered in Youmu's ear. She smiled at me, giving a small nod of thanks.

We walked for a little more time before reaching a place in the sky without any clouds. I still couldn't see the ground however. "This, Amami-san, is the barrier between the Netherworld and the real world. After the incident 5 years ago, a hole opened up in the barrier, making it easier to come and go." I nodded my head briefly to Nagae-san before returning my attention to the barrier. "So... Does the barrier have a physical form?"

"You catch on fast Haru-chan!"

"H-h-haru-chan?" I stuttered, looking at Yuyuko-sama incredulously. "Indeed! Don't you like the nickname?" _Why... Never mind... I'm sure this is usual for her. _"The barrier doesn't really have a physical form. Anyway, I'm getting hungry! Come on Youmu! Let's go!" We went through the barrier quickly, hurried on by Yuyuko-sama's haste. "This, Amami-san, is the Netherworld." I looked around me with wonder, looking at all the cherry blossoms in bloom. "Wow! This place is... very calming."  
"You don't even know half of it. This place is very different from the desolate Hell, having its own seasons." Youmu looked over to me with a smile. "You should come in autumn sometime. The trees are filled with vibrant red leaves."  
"Maybe I will," I remarked, still looking around the Netherworld. We continued along the Netherworld for a little while before reaching a ridiculously quiet and large garden. "This!" Yuyuko-sama exclaimed, twirling around wildly, "Is Hakugyokurouu!"

**BGM: Mystic Oriental Dream ~ Ancient Temple (Touhou 7: PCB)**

Hakugyokurouu was an immense place, the garden full of an unimaginable number of cherry trees, and a Japanese mansion sitting in the middle. "Come inside! Youmu! Make dinner please!"  
"Hai, Yuyuko-sama!" Looking at the garden once more, I rushed inside after Youmu. "Wait for me Youmu!" Once entering though, I stopped in wonder. "Woah... This place is huge... I should find Youmu." The mansion was decorated like a traditional Japanese mansion, though slightly mixed with various themes of other countries. I walked around for a bit, trying to find the kitchen. _Where is that kitchen? I must be getting close... I can practically smell it! Oh wait, I can. _Shaking my head to get rid of my inner monologue, I opened the doors to what I presumed to be the kitchen. Inside I could see what seemed to be a typical kitchen, except that everything was super sized. It seemed that I had walked into Costco for a second. "Ah! Miharu. Do I have permission to call you Miharu?" Youmu remarked thoughtfully. I chuckled a little before giving my response, "Of course Youmu! After all, if I call you just Youmu it's only fitting that you call me just Miharu."

"Thanks. Anyway, we need to prepare enough food for 8 people."  
"Huh? Eight people?"  
"Yuyuko-sama has the appetite of 5 people just on her own. I have to wonder though where all that food goes!"

"Well, Yuyuko-sama's a ghost right? Maybe it just goes into nothingness?" Youmu laughed softly to herself. "Anyway, let's start preparing the dish. I was thinking of making Yakisoba, Okonomiyaki, Sesame Soba Salad, Vegan Gyoza, Oyakodon, Tonjiru, Tebasaki, Beef Teriyaki, and Chicken Ramen."  
"Holy Gensokyo that's a lot of food!"  
"You should see the ingredient list. We'll need aonori, avocado, baby taro, bacon, benishoga, black pepper, black vinegar, burdock root, cabbage, carrot, cherry tomatoes, chicken bones, chicken thighs, chicken wings, chile oil, chuno sauce, cilantro leaves, cold water, dark brown sugar, dashi, eggs, flour, garlic, ginger, ginger juice, ground white pepper, gyoza wrappers, honey, katsuobushi, kombu, konyaku, leek, lemon, mayonnaise, mirin, nagaimo, okonomiyaki sauce, onion, oyster sauce, potato starch, pork belly, quinoa, ramen noodles, raw sugar, rice vinegar, sake, salt, scallions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, shiitake mushrooms, soba noodles, soy milk, soy sauce, steak, tahini, tofu, vegetables, vegetable oil, white pepper, yellow noodles, and yellow miso." ... _How did you memorize all that?_ "Umm, Youmu? Do we have that much food or space to make everything?"  
"Don't worry about it. I've got everything we need already. I've learned to prepare for Yuyuko-sama's appetite!" With that we began preparing the food.

"So Youmu."

"Yeah Miharu?"

"Is it ever tiring having to serve Yuyuko-sama?" Youmu paused for a quick moment before getting back to the cooking. "No." I looked at Youmu incredulously. "Don't give me that look, Miharu. While Yuyuko-sama can be... eccentric at times. She is a good mistress to me. Besides, as successor to my teacher I take upon my job as gardener with honor."

"Your teacher?"

"Yes. My teacher, Youki Konpaku, disappeared a while ago. I like to think that his disappearance, was meant to be a lesson for me. He taught me all the basic knowledge of how to use my swords, the Hakurouken and Roukanken."  
"You use swords?"  
"Yes. The Hakurouken, or the White Tower Sword, is the ancestral sword of the Konpaku family. Using it will slash through the confusion of whoever it cuts, sending ghosts to enlightenment, and humans experiencing discomfort and a bit of pain. The Roukanken, or the Look-out Tower Sword, is the long katana I wield. The things that can't be cut by my Roukanken, forged by youkai, is close to none. It has the power to kill ten ghosts in one stroke."  
"Really?"  
"I might be exaggerating a bit I guess." Youmu admitted, smiling sheepishly. "That's cool. I wish I knew how to use a sword like you do, Youmu."

"Why would you need to learn how to use one?"

"One day, I was hanging out with my friends in the field when I found what Nagae-san said to be the Sword of Hisou. After that I was taken to Gensokyo from the outside world."

"You're from the outside?"  
"Yes. As such, I don't have any knowledge of how to fight in this world, much less use the Sword of Hisou."

"I see... Well in that case, why don't I teach you how to use the sword?"  
"Really Youmu? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course Miharu. We're friends after all." I smiled at Youmu, face beaming with happiness. "Thank you Youmu," I began, "It's nice to have a friend like you."

**BGM: 君の夢 ****-instrumental version- (Touhoumon: Marissa's Magic World OST)**

Everyone gathered at the banquet hall to have dinner. The banquet hall was quite large, and let outside to yet another garden covered in gravel and pine trees, further in a short fence, and beyond that a grove of cherry trees. "My my you two," Nagae-san said after we served all the food. "You sure prepared a lot of food."  
"We sure did. We had to fit in Yuyuko-sama's appetite after all." I remarked back to Nagae-san. "What can I say," Yuyuko-sama exclaimed joyfully, "A gluttonous worm, eats the bird."

"Yuyuko-sama..." The sounds of dishes clinking echoed throughout the room, interrupted by the conversations breaking out everywhere. "Oh that's right!" Youmu exclaimed, almost jumping out of her seat. "What is it Youmu?" Yuyuko-sama asked questioningly. "I was wondering if it was alright to train Miharu here in the art of the sword." Nagae-san looked at Youmu thoughtfully. "I think that it would be a wonderful experience, what do you think Yuyuko-chan?"  
"Sounds like fun! Why wouldn't you be able to? Go ahead you two."

"Thanks a lot you guys." I said graciously before returning to the meal. Suddenly, the air got tense. Everyone froze for a moment before bracing themselves for something to happen. The wind rushed in the room creating a strong breeze. "Something's wrong..." Youmu said worriedly. We rushed outside to the garden. Outside were a bunch of formless phantoms. "What are you doing here? Get out of Hakugyokurouu and back to the Netherworld." Yuyuko-sama declared. The phantoms were silent for a moment. "Be careful everyone..." Nagae-san said quietly. We approached them slowly. When we got within about a 20 ft distance from them they finally began to move, beginning to attack.

**BGM: Hiroari Shoots a Strange Bird ~ Till When? (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

"Here they come everyone!" I hear Nagae-san yell at us. "Youmu," Yuyuko-sama shouts, "Guard Miharu, we'll handle them on our own."

"OK!" Youmu shouts back, dashing towards me. "Quick!" she declared urgently, "Get to the banquet hall. I won't let any of them hurt you."

"Got it." I say as I dash towards the banquet hall. Once I reach the hall I turn around to observe what's happening. _! This... Is out of my league... _"Cherry Sign: Sense of Cherry Blossom!" I hear Yuyuko-sama declare, bringing out a spell card. At the same time, I hear Nagae-san declare "Dragon Fish: Swimming Oarfish Shot!" I see Yuyuko-sama twirl where she stood, while Iku generates a small ball of electricity above her head that sends clusters of lightning rotate out, Yuyuko-sama being in the only blind spot. The formless phantoms receive massive damage from Iku's attack and are knocked down quickly. As I look back towards Yuyuko-sama I see her swing her fan forwards towards the remaining phantoms and hit them with a gigantic pink slash that reaches high into the air, successfully knocking down all other phantoms. As their spell cards wind down the formless phantoms begin to get back up slowly. "What? They should have disappeared by now!" Yuyuko-sama exclaimed, shocked. Out of the corner of my eye I see a phantom dash towards Nagae-san. "Nagae-san!" I shout at her, "Watch out!" She tries to turn around, but the backlash from the spell card takes her off guard and gets melee comboed from the phantom. "They shouldn't be this powerful either!" I hear Youmu exclaim, rushing over to Nagae-san. "Hnn..." I hear Nagae-san mutter barely. "Yuyuko-sama! She's down for the count. We should end this now!"

"I agree." I hear Yuyuko-sama say determinedly. "Let's do this Youmu!"

"Let's! Spell card! Obsessor: Slash of Eternity!" I see a blur where Youmu used to stand. Looking back towards the phantoms, I see them rounded up by Youmu. "This will end now!" I hear her yell, rushing towards the phantoms at an insane speed. Countless slashes and cuts layer the phantoms as they're suspended in mid-air, kept up by Youmu's continuous high-speed slashing. "Now Yuyuko-sama!" She yells as she dashes back and out of the boundary with Nagae-san, giving Yuyuko-sama an opening. "It's time for your end. Spell card..."

**BGM: Border of Life ****(Touhou 7: PCB)**

I feel the wind rustle and the sheer power emanating from Yuyuko-sama. "Deadly Dance: Law of Mortality -Demon World-! You force me to show you a slice of my true power, you die by my hand!" A gigantic fan opens behind Yuyuko-sama as she releases a whirlwind of butterflies. An endless amount of butterflies spiral everywhere, decimating anything it touches within the invisible barriers, destroying trees, the ground, and the phantoms. _This power... It's insane! _As the butterflies spiral around, getting faster and more intense Yuyuko-sama releases seven spirits into the mix, giant purple translucent spheres that glow on the edge. The sheer amount of the butterflies and spirits decimate the entire field. As the spell card times out the extent of the damage is revealed, showing only a giant crater in the ground, the phantoms dissolved into nothingness.

**BGM: Swing a Fish to Drive Away Flies (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

"There we go! Dead as a sparrow!" Yuyuko-sama announced cheerfully, seemingly unaware of the destruction around her. Youmu however, was not. "Y-y-Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu stuttered frantically, "Now look at what you've done! I'll have to clean up the mess that you made!"

"Well then? Why don't you start now?"

"Yuyuko-sama..."  
"Ah! Miharu, take care of Nagae-san will you? I apologize for having to leave right now, but an important matter has come up that I need to address."  
"H-hai." With that, Yuyuko-sama glided away out of Hakugyokurouu.

* * *

**BGM: Crimson in the Black Sea ~ Legendary Fish (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

TO: Miharu-chan

SBJ: So how is it?

Miharu-chan,

Glad to know you're safe! I heard everything from Renko. How exciting! You're actually in the mystical land of Gensokyo!? You MUST tell us everything that goes on there. Anyway, how is it going with Nagae-san? Has she tried to kill you again? If she has I swear I will make her wish she wasn't alive! Anyway, answer soon!

Maribel

TO: Maribel-chan

SBJ: Hakugyokurou

Maribel-chan

Don't worry, I'm not dead. I'll send an attachment with what I've learned every time I send an email to one of you. Oh! I recently arrived in Hakugyokurou, I'll explain that in the attachment. I met a half-ghost named Youmu and her mistress Yuyuko-sama. They're very nice people. Or would that be very nice ghosts? Anyway, I wish you could meet them, though Yuyuko-sama can be a little... eccentric at times. Wish you were here!

Miharu

* * *

**BGM: Sky of Scarlet Perception (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

I looked over Nagae-san as she was recovering from the battle, while Youmu looked over the mansion. "Nagae-san..." I murmured, looking out the window. "I wish... I could have helped you." I felt Nagae-san's hand touch mine. I looked at Nagae-san, surprised. "Don't worry, Miharu-chan." Nagae-san said with a smile, "You did everything you could have. Besides, I'm fine now. See?" Nagae-san got out of the bed and yawned loudly. "Nagae-san," I started to speak. "Please, Iku-chan is fine." I smiled a little before starting again. "Iku-chan...Even though you say that, I still could have done something! If only..."  
"Don't fret about it, Miharu-chan. You are only human after all." I stared down at my feet, thinking about what just occurred. "Anyway, let's talk to Yuyuko-chan about this. Personally, I have a few questions for Yuyuko-chan." "Ah! Yuyuko-sama went off somewhere a while ago, I'm not sure if she's back yet."  
"In that case, let's go check."

We walked out of the room to find Youmu. After a while, we found her at the steps to Hakugyokurou, brushing away the blossoms that had fallen. "Youmu!" I called out, Youmu looking up from her sweeping. "Ah, Miharu and Iku-chan! Glad to see you're awake again."  
"Yeah, it wasn't anything major. Is Yuyuko-chan back yet?"

"Yes... She should be in the banquet hall. She wanted to talk to you two about the incident that just occurred..."

"Thanks Youmu." We walked back into Hakugyokurou and to the banquet hall. "Youmu-chan said you wanted to talk to us?" Iku-chan asked Yuyuko-sama. "Correct, Iku-chan, Miharu." We took our seats at the gigantic table and waited for Yuyuko-sama to start speaking. "I recently went out to see the Netherworld, and I've noticed that there have been an increase of hostile formless phantoms such as the ones we just saw. However, there's also been a decrease in the total number of phantoms. Somethings wrong in the Netherworld."  
"Has the outbreak of hostile phantoms reached the outside?"  
"No they aren't going outside so they aren't alerting the outside of the incident. Whoever's responsible for this is doing so in a manner that they wouldn't have been discovered if not from the attack."  
"That's troublesome... The phantoms usually aren't hostile, and when they are they're not that powerful."

"I agree. I looked at the Saigyou Ayakashi however..." _The Saigyou Ayakashi? _"And it seems the ghosts are being attracted to the tree. Just like how the spring was..."

"We should go immediately then!"

"Give us a few days to prepare, then we can go."  
"Go where?"

"To solve this incident."  
"Sounds good to me..."  
"In the mean time, how 'about you train with Youmu-chan?"  
"Hai."

**BGM: Drunk as I Like (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

"Okay, so let's start with the basics. From an overhead position, position your sword perfectly horizontal."  
"Like this?"  
"Yep! Seems like you're a natural." Youmu had started to train me on how to use a sword before we go to solve the incident. So far, we had only gotten to the basics. "Cast the sword out, like how you catch a fish, by pulling with your left hand at the bottom until it makes contact with the dummy and then drops to stop horizontally. Don't apply any extra power, just let the blade drop." I do as Youmu instructs, hitting the dummy with the sword. "Good! Be careful though not to use too much force in the right hand." After I repeated the swing some more we moved onto the next swing. "This time, arc out with the sword and cut through the dummy." I practiced for a while, getting the basics down. "Alright... Everyone has their own unique style of sword, so the best thing to do is to do some spars."  
"Already!?"

"Yeah... Now from what I've seen, the Sword of Hisou can be used one or two-handed, so choose whatever seems the most natural to you. You ready?" I nod, readying myself, "I'll be going easy, but prepare yourself!"

**BGM: Fragrant Plants (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

Youmu rushed forward, using her swords to slash repeatedly with great force. I try to parry, but her attacks are too powerful. _This is easy!? _I dash out of her way quickly to try to plan a strategy. "Heart Carving Cut! Level 1!" She yells, rushing towards me encased in a purple-pink light. I dodge barely by jumping over the slash, seeing that it was intended for the feet. "Go! Sword of Non-Perceptions!" I shout as the name comes into my mind. I find myself charging forward with the sword. "Lotus Stance Cut! Level 1!" Youmu releases a green set of double slashes of sword magic, heading towards me. I graze through them and slash at Youmu, sending her up in the air and making her knocked down. "OK! Time for a combo!" I dashed in, and just as Youmu was getting up I comboed her with a kick, stomp. and push. Inside my mind, a card appeared called Sword of Non-Perception. Somehow, I knew I gained my first Skill Card.

**BGM: An Unused Location (Touhou 13.5 OST: Disk 2)**

We worked hard those 3 days, and by that time my skills had grown considerably, but still not even near the power of Youmu or even Iku-chan. Over the past days I've only managed to acquire Skill Cards, getting Sword of Non-Perceptions mastered at Level Max, and Sword of Scarlet Perception to Level 3. Sword of Scarlet Perception is a fast and heavy hitting three hit melee combo, but requires close range to pull off. Right now, I was trying to acquire a Spell Card. _Think Miharu! THINK! _My thoughts drifted over to a clip of an anime I saw at the outside world, which I thought was really cool. I mean, even though I only saw one clip, it was really impressive. _Fate/Stay Night was it not? Let's try this... Reality Marble... Unlimited Blade Works! _I open my eyes a little it to see if anything happened. I sighed deeply. _Of course it wouldn't work... Let's try again. Hmm... The skies are so clear today... Clear Skies: Unlimited Blade Works. _I started to chant the incantation that was said in the anime, focusing on only the incantation. "I am the bone of my sword." I tried to keep my focus, but it felt that my energy was being drained quickly, "Steel is my body, and fire is my blood." Unable to keep focus any longer I released the incantation. Opening my eyes I saw something truly amazing.

The sky had turned a scarlet color, as my augmented reality took over. Hundreds of blades floated in the air behind me, waiting to attack. As quickly as it came, the spell was broken. Inside my mind the sound of glass breaking echoed within. "Spell Card, Clear Skies: Unlimited Blade Works -Easy-." I had finally gotten a Spell Card. I was ecstatic. I celebrated right then like there was no tommorow. I worked hard on trying to perfect using the Spell Card on easy. I was out there for about 6 hours when Youmu finally called me in for dinner. I stared up at the ceiling, laying down in my bed. _Tomorrow we solve this incident. This time, I'll be ready. _With those thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

**BGM: Ultimate Truth ****(Touhou 7: PCB)**

"Ok. Now that everyone's here, we can head off to solve this mystery once and for all. Everyone with me!?"

"Yes!" It was the next day, and everyone was ready to solve this mystery once and for all. We headed out to the Netherworld with Yuyuko-sama leading us. Iku-chan had shots that while slow and really spread out, made up for their power and ability to slow down enemies movements. Yuyuko-sama's shots were widespread powerful butterflies, though slow to move, and Youmu's were focused, quick, and powerful on one opponent. I... Hadn't learned how to shoot danmaku yet so I mainly rushed ahead and tried to slash through the enemies and bullets quickly. We continued towards the giant tree in the distance. "Watch out!" I called out, as four ghosts appeared. I readied my sword, quickly destroying the ghosts before they could do much. On the other side however, four more ghosts appeared, raining down a shower of red and blue bullets. We quickly dodged and grazed them, and they were soon done for. 5 waves of seven ghosts followed after that, decimating the screen with a whole bunch of fast-moving red and blue bullets. We focused our movements, and dodged or grazed most of them, though a couple of the bullets made me lose some power due to my inexperience.

"It is a wonderful event that will occur, is it not?" We hear a melodious voice speak out, as a gold eyed, blond-haired violinist appeared. "Yep! A festival of the spirits! Of course, we've been invited to play." Another voice speaks out, this time belonging to a blue-eyed, wavy light blue haired trumpeter. "Of course, who else would've been invited to play?" Yet another voice spoke out as a brown-eyed, light-brown haired keyboardist appeared. "Lunasa, Merlin, Lyrica! What are you doing here!" Youmu calls out, addressing each in the order they appeared. "We've been asked to play at the spirit festival that will occur shortly!" Merlin replied, "After all, where the Prismriver Sisters! The Three Poltergeist Sisters!"

"Now now, Rainbow-chan! What do you know about this little festival?"

"A Poltergeist much like ourselves has prepared a festival to celebrate some new spirits that she's created!"

"Indeed, we were asked to play only today."  
"Of course, if you already knew that then why bother asking us?"

"Excuse me for interrupting," I said, "But we really need to get to that tree in the distance."

"A new face? And one from the outside world?"  
"There's no time to worry about that, Merlin. We can't let them near that tree."  
"Why not, Lunasa?" Youmu questioned suspiciously, "The festival is still in preparation." Lunasa replied, readying her instrument. "I'm sorry, but if you want to reach the tree, you'll have to beat us first."

"Everyone!" Iku yelled, getting ready for battle, "Here we go!"

**BGM: Ghostly Band ~ Phantom Ensemble ****(Touhou 7: PCB)**

Lyrica made the first move, sending out a slow spiral of purple bullets than a quick spiral of blue and then brown bullets. I tried to work my way up to Lyrica, but the density of the bullets made it hard to. "Everyone!" Iku shouted, "Focus on grazing!" While the number of bullets were hard to get by, their ability to be grazed semi-easily made the non-spell go by quickly, making Lyrica launch another non-spell. This time, a circle of blue bullets and red homing bullets erupted from around her, creating a wide-spread, precise homing attack. I watched the others graze the bullets easily, used to this sort of thing, while I moved around and hoped I didn't get hit. "Hmph! Is that all you've got!" I hear Youmu proclaim, as the non-spell ends. "Spell Card!" All three of the sisters declare, "Noisy Sign: Live Poltergeist -Lunatic-!" We braced ourselves, waiting for them to attack. Lunasa and Merlin sent out a scattering shot with red bullets, while Lyrica sent out notes from her playing that turned into fast-moving multi-colored bullets. "Kuh..." I grunted as I hit a bullet, making my power level go down from 4 to 3, but apart from that, the Spell Card was over quick. Lyrica's next non-spell wasn't very hard either, if you're good at grazing. Which as stated, I'm not. I ended up being hit again, decreasing power level from 3 to 2. Youmu seemed to struggle a bit, moving a little too fast to do the precise grazing that Yuyuko-sama was doing. Soon, the next Spell Card had been declared. "Bosendorfer Spirit Performance -Lunatic-!" Alternating red and blue bullets curved around Lyrica before shooting straight out like a laser, with yellow bullets going through the middle. "Now now! Even a sparrow is harder than this!" Yuyuko-sama stated, ending the spell card with a focus shot. Yuyuko's focus shot sent out 6 wisps that homed in on the enemy, dealing enough damage to end the spell card.

"Noisy Funeral: Stygian Riverside -Lunatic-!" Lunasa and Merlin moved around randomly while swinging a laser, while Lyrica sent out scatter shots that covered the whole area. "OK, Now this is getting somewhat intense." Iku stated, getting hit with one of the scatter shots. I watched as Iku freaked out and used a bomb. "Bomb! Lightning Sign: Elekiter Dragon Palace!" A thunderbolt stroke onto Iku from above, acting as a protective barrier and clearing the bullets. Soon after that, the Spell Card was over. "This is our most powerful one! Get ready!" Lyrica exclaimed as the sisters drew out a Spell Card. "Great Requiem: Wonderful Concerto Grosso!" The three sisters formed a triangle formation, spinning around in circles with a laser in between them. Multi colored waves of bullets soon appeared, as we found it continuously harder to dodge and graze. Soon, another laser appeared going out diagonally from them, catching me by surprise. "Gah!" I yelled as the laser appeared, using a Skill Card. "Sword of Non-Perception! Level Max!" I grazed through the bullets to get close to the sisters, and did a quick powerful slice. Admittedly, it didn't really work, seeing as they're ghosts. Once I finished however, even with the decent amount of damage I had just dished out, I was stuck in the middle of the dense bullets.

"Oh, I'm screwed." I said as I tried to dodge the bullets, and was failing pretty miserably. "Miharu!" I heard Youmu yell in worry. I looked back at Youmu. Bad decision. A gigantic wave of bullets hit me, sending me flying, though still landing in the center of the three. "Miharu!" Yuyuko-sama yelled, gliding over in hurry. "I'm fine!" I yelled back, "Just keep focus on the enemy for now." Yuyuko-sama looked reluctantly at me, but went back to focusing her efforts on the enemy. I got back up quickly, and did the first thing that came to mind. Use another Skill Card. "Sword of Scarlet Perception! Level 3!" I did some melee attacks on Lyrica, breaking her attention for just a moment, but that was still enough for the others to focus on Lyrica and end the Spell Card. The fight ended, as we approached the giant tree that they were guarding.

**BGM: Voyage 1969 (Touhou 8: IN)**

"Sisters!" I hear a voice call out from the air. Youmu looked around quickly. "Who are you? Show yourself!" She yells into the air. "You dare to hurt my sisters?" The voice calls out once again, "I'll forgive you this time. After all, it won't matter in the long run anyway." I watch the voice's owner flicker into view, revealing a young lady wearing a purple dress. The lady had green eyes and long wavy green hair, with a black headband with bows at the end. "Ah!" Yuyuko-sama exclaimed, "I remember you now!" _Who are you talking about? _"What do you remember?" I question, "Who is she?"

"That, Miharu-chan," Declares Nagae-san quietly, "Is Layla Prismriver, the fourth Prismriver sister."

"Indeed!" Layla speaks out, "I'm surprised you've heard of me. My name is as you heard, Layla Prismriver. The Ghostly Girl of the Ruined Western Mansion."  
"Why are you here Layla? Long ago you should have passed on in peace!" Youmu yelled questioningly at Layla. "What's left of my spirit is now devoted to the revival of my sisters and mansion. I can't pass on with such regrets in mind."  
"Now now, a dead sparrow is a dead sparrow. Isn't having your sisters as poltergeists enough for you Layla?"

"You don't understand! I want the four of us to be a family again. A true living, breathing, and real family! By absorbing the spirits of the ghosts, I'll finish what you tried those 5 years ago!" Yuyuko-sama jumped back a little, a surprised look on her face wide with shock. "You're going to bloom the Saigyou Ayakashi!?"

"Miharu-chan, listen up. Five years ago Yuyuko and Youmu gathered the spring in Gensokyo in order to bloom the Saigyou Ayakashi, the giant cherry tree you see behind Layla. Blooming the tree will revive the person who's buried under the tree, who's said to have the power over death. What they didn't know at the time however, was that the person buried under the tree was actually Yuyuko-chan herself. There wasn't enough spring however, but there was some hope for them when a tiny bit of spring was brought over by the Hakurei Maiden, the Ordinary Magician, and the Devil's Dog, who had come to bring back the spring. The incident was called Perfect Cherry Blossom, and ended with the visitors being the victors."

"Yeah, but how does that relate to the matter at hand?"

"Miharu-chan, if that tree blooms, Yuyuko-chan will probably die. Without Yuyuko-chan, the Netherworld would probably erupt into chaos."

"In that case, we can't let her bloom that tree!"

"You can't stop me! I won't listen to what you tell me. I will bloom the Saigyou Ayakashi! I will use the power of the revived tree to bring my family back!"

"Layla..."

"Don't say it! You will die here! Prepare yourselves!" We got into position for battle, none of us knowing what would happen to Layla after this. All I could think about was her motivation for this crazy plan. _Family... If my mother was going to die... What would I do? Would I've gone to the same extents that Layla has? Is my family... Truly a family? _

* * *

**Author's Note: So we're introduced to Youmu and Yuyuko, two of my personal favorite characters. Isn't Yuyuko so eccentric? Don't think I've forgotten about Renko and Maribel (Actually I kind of did), they'll be important later, but for now they're just in the sidelines. Sorry guys... Anyway, Layla battle is up next and a returning character will appear! Can you guess who? (Well, there's only really one choice that makes sense...) The Hakugyokurou semi-arc is almost over already. Soon the Training will begin! Then maybe the actual plot can get rolling! And I know that reference was really uncalled for, but I just couldn't get it out of my head! I'm working on making Yuyuko more three-dimensional, and with Iku also. I'll try my best in the future not to justmake Yuyuko the powerhouse. Also, my danmaku descriptions fail. Ha ha, I'll just go and fix things once I get the hang of it. So here ends the daily updates, since I already had these 4 chapters ready by the time I actually got my account, so yeah.**


	5. The Ghosts of the Western Mansions

Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou. Or Kid Icarus: Uprising, which is referenced through dialogue heavily. Or anything else referenced really.

* * *

**BGM: Demystify Feast (Magical Astronomy)**

"And so this battle shall begin!" Layla calls out, moving in for the offense. "I call upon thee to do my bidding, summon!" Layla called out to the wind, summoning a bunch of formless phantoms to surround her. The phantoms spun around her quickly, each making a spiral of rainbow danmaku flow out from them. "Dammit!" Youmu exclaimed as she summoned them. "My shots can't go through the phantoms!"  
"Neither can mine," Iku-chan murmured, frowning. "You guys finish off the phantoms, I'll take care of Layla." Yuyuko-sama declared, her shots going through the phantoms and to Layla directly. "Yuyuko-sama?!"  
"Imperishable Night, Myon-myon."  
"Right. Let's do this!" Luckily for us, while the shots were widely spread out, they weren't focused on anyone so they had some obvious gaps. Layla was taking a lot of damage fast from Yuyuko-sama's constant barrage, but she was holding on steadily. "Take this! Spell Card! Phantom Sign: Ghostly Explosions!" Layla had been pressured enough to use her first Spell Card. The phantoms still circled her, some of them resurrecting, protecting her from Youmu and Iku-chan's attacks. "Youmu!" I exclaim, seeing the tell-tale signs of the phantoms appearing behind her, "Behind you!" Youmu quickly moved out of the way, her ghost half flowing slowly behind her. The phantoms appeared in a burst of danmaku, creating a quick spiral before self-destructing into an explosion of random danmaku. "Gah!" Youmu exclaimed as she bombed, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the explosion. "Bomb! Ghost Sword: Fasting of the Young Gaki!" Time slowed to almost a stop as everything slowed down. Time resumed as Youmu slashed across the screen at high speeds, taking only a blink of an eye, danmaku erupting outwards from the slash. "Don't tell me!" Iku shouted, staring at Layla, who was unhurt apart from the fact her phantoms were destroyed.. "She's bomb resistant?!"

"Well, we should've expected that from a final boss." I remarked, going up close to Layla before she could regenerate the phantoms. "Skill Card! Sword of Non-Perceptions! Level Max! "Gah!" Layla let out, trying to summon the phantoms quickly before getting hit by my slash. I dashed back to where the others were, waiting for the next move.

"Why you... Take this!" Layla muttered, summoning even more spirits to surround her. She glided across the screen fluidly, the danmaku flowing out seemingly mimicking Youmu's Spell Card. "That's copying you know!" Youmu exclaimed angrily, focusing all her power on destroying the phantoms. "Skill Card! Sword of Non-Perceptions! Level 3!" I rushed up to Layla, grazing through the danmaku and destroying most of the spirits, the rest destroyed by the others. "All right!" Youmu shouted happily. "Let us strike while the iron's hot!" Youmu and I melee Layla while Iku-chan and Yuyuko-sama focus on shooting her. Layla is soon forced to use a Spell Card. "All right, this is the last straw! Spell Card! Ghostly Past: Melodic Destruction!" The phantoms dissapeared and reappeared along the edges of the screen, creating a large boundary. Layla started then to sing, her melody creating danmaku music notes that bounced off the phantoms, creating a chaotic field. "Aaah!" I yell softly, getting hit by one of the danmaku. _Power Level: 3.00/2.00. Tch, barely any hits left_... "Just because there's more bullets," Iku mutters, focusing her shots on Layla, "Doesn't mean your defense is good as well!" Youmu finished, unleashing her charge shot, finishing the last of Layla's health.

**BGM: Strange Bird of the Moon, Illusion of Mysterious Cat (Ghostly Field Club)**

"It's over Layla!" Iku-chan shouts, Layla falling backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thump. The sounds of insane cackling fill the area, red eyes glowing from the darkness. "Or so you think!" A creepy voice calls out. "Who's there!" I yell into the darkness, readying myself. A girl steps out, looking like a mirror copy of Layla except with purple hair and green clothes. "And who might you be!?" Youmu questions assertively. "Fufufufu, I'm surprised, little miss trespasser. I'd think you'd recognize the one who almost killed you!" I looked at the girl in shock. "N-no way! It's you!" I shout, remembering her. "Alyal Monochrome! How are you in Gensokyo!?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Alyal said, hiding a laugh. She cackled a little bit before resuming speech. "Didn't I tell you? That I would kill you!" She exclaimed, leering at me. "Indeed..." Layla's voice spoke up, Layla standing up again. "With our two forces combined, nothing will stop us." The ground shook beneath us, Alyal cracking wildly. "What's happening!" Youmu shouted, staring at the ground. "Kuh kuh kuh kuh, hah hah hah ha, BWAHAHAHAHA!" Alyal laughed into the sky, her eyes glimmering with madness. "I can manipulate my mansion to my will..." Alyal said, her mansion forming around us. "So you're responsible for all of that!"  
"Wasn't that obvious? I'm deeply impressed by your intelligence." Alyal remarked sarcastically. "Focus, Alyal." layla muttered, floating to where Alyal was standing. "You will not win!" They said in unison, their voices sounding almost exactly alike, with Alyal's a little less soothing. "You're against the Ghostly Girls of the Western Mansions!"  
"And how did you two meet each other? Yuyuko-sama questioned, "I doubt you met just now."  
"Ha! After that damn Yama sent me to the Netherworld. I'll never forgive that Yama... I'll kill her after I kill you."  
"Are you... Doppelgangers?" Iku questioned. "So it's true that everyone has a doppelgänger in the other world?"

"Of course, Layla is Alyal backwards you know?" Layla said calmly. "Let's just get on with this battle already!" I shouted, annoyed at the interference. "Then it's time." Alyal remarked.

"Time for what?" Layla responded.

"Our pre-scum pounding rallying cry!"  
"Oh, right. Listen up now. Scum of the universe, hear our words."  
"And see your remains."  
"I am Layla Prismriver, servant to my family!"  
"And I'm Alyal Monochrome. Servant to no one but my insanity!"

"Together, we will rain death upon you!"  
"Kuh kuh kuh, Anyone who wants to die shall step right up!"  
"And anyone who doesn't, too bad!"  
"Nich speech, guys." Iku-chan said, putting emphasis on guys. "Did you stay up all night writing it?" Youmu remarked. "Or is it your super-secret doppelgänger connection talking?" Yuyuko-sama and I stated, all four of us rolling our eyes at the cheesiness of it all.

**BGM: Reflection (Komeiji Records)**

The battle started with a bang, literally. All doors of the mansion closed with a loud bang, enveloping the room with darkness, leaving only lights from the flickering candles. "Defeating you quickly is our goal! Spell Card! Ghostly Wail!" Layla declared her Spell Card, though not yet activating the Spell Card yet. "You can't penetrate through this terror! Spell Card! Ghostly Past!" Alyal declared, holding her Spell Card up to Layla's. "Unison Spell Card!" They declared together, their Spell Cards fusing into one, "Ghostly Sign: Ghostly Wails of a Haunted Past!" Layla floated up into the air, her phantoms forming a shield around her. Alyal leapt towards me with her trademark maniac grin, pulling a cleaver out of nowhere and slicing the ground where I just stood. Alyal started to slice through the air with her cleaver frantically, slices making shock waves that destroyed the mansion, sending the debris flying. While that happened, Layla started singing once again, her pitch getting higher as the music danmaku showed up more frequently. "Oh my!" Yuyuko-sama exclaimed as a shock wave hit her, and while it didn't damage her, she was still a little stunned. "Haha! Prefer yourself for a kill rush!" Alyal shrieked as she appeared next to Yuyuko-sama. "Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu cried out, dashing towards Yuyuko-sama, protecting her. Alyal slashed at Youmu in a frenzy. Even though the attack wasn't able to kill or be lethal due to the Spell-Card Rules, blood could be seen slowly creeping up Alyal's arms as she hacked away at Youmu's health. "GAAAH!" Youmu screamed as she was sent back, power level having reached 0.

"Youmu!" I heard Yuyuko-sama scream, looking shocked. "One down..." Alyal whispered, pulling up the cleaver from the ground. "Yuyuko-chan!" Iku-chan called, "Look out!" She yelled, firing a focus shot at Alyal. A medium sized ball of electricity flew quickly towards Alyal. "Gah!" She grunted, being forced back to the wall. "Youmu..." Yuyuko-sama muttered, cherry blossoms fluttering around her. "Yuyuko-sama... If it means saving you, I'm fine with this." Youmu said quietly, her wounds healing slowly. "Just go beat them!" Yuyuko-sama nodded, her head facing the ground. "Don't worry, we will win this fight!" Yuyuko-sama declared, cherry blossoms flowing around her wildly. "That's the spirit." I said, focusing another attack. "We'll take care of Layla, you focus on Alyal." Iku-chan stated, charging her focus shot. ""Got it!" I yell, dashing towards Alyal. "Skill Card! Sword of Scarlet Perception! Level 3!" I yell out, standing close to Alyal. At the same time I hear Iku-chan and Yuyuko-sama declare, "Skill Card! Veils Like Wind! Spirits that Died Well! Unison Skill! Spirits of the Veil That Died With the Wind! Level Max!" Moving close to Alyal, I swung the Sowrd of Hisou up in an arc, then back down in a flash, and with a final swing, sent Alyal flying into the wall across from me. I looked at the other two to watch their Unison Skill Card. Iku-chan swung her shwal around to redirect Layla's danmaku right back at her, while Yuyuko-sama sent a butterfly into the air above Layla that erupted into a bunch of butterfly danmaku that rained down on Layla. "N-no!" She stuttered, her Spell Card being interrupted. "... Damn you... You're so... ANNOYING!" Layla shouted, her anger getting the better of her. "HA! That's one thing we agree on."  
"Well you're always pessimistic and insane."  
"The better question would be why are you so damn calm all the time!"  
"You've got to stay serene, serene, serene! Or you'll be insane, insane, insane!"

"Like I said. Annoying!"

"Spell Card!" Layla declared, drawing out another card right off the bat. "Creation Sign: Phantom Finale! Preform to your fullest, my dear sisters!" Layla conjured up three phantoms, that slowly began to take shape. "How dare you!" Iku-chan screamed, firing a focused shot at Layla. Layla had formed the Prismriver sisters from the phantoms, and just like before, began to do their most powerful attack while guarding Layla. Once again, the three sisters formed a triangle formation, spinning around in circles with a laser in between them. Multi colored waves of bullets soon appeared again, and combined with Layla's singing, made the Spell Card even more difficult than it was before. To add to the difficulty, Alyal was still charging with her cleaver, and while slower and with less range, was still as deadly. "Watch out! Here comes the laser!" Iku-chan called out. She was right. The laser came out like before, but this time, we were prepared. "Now!" I yelled, signalling everyone to release their charge shot as I dashed in with the Sword of Hisou. "Sword of Non-Perceptions! Level Max!" Stunning the fake Prismrivers, I dashed out of the way in time for Yuyuko-sama and Iku-chan's focus shots to hit. "Take that, Layla! That'll teach you for messing with spirits!" Yuyuko-sama shouted, her focus shot having been amplified by her anger towards Layla. "No!" Layla called out, her body seemingly dissolving into blossoms. "This... is it? Sisters!" She called out as she disappeared. "Ha! A weakling like her deserved to die. Take my Spell Card!" Alyal declared, bringing out her own Spell Card. "Ghosts of the Past: Lunatic Insanity!" She declared, erupting into even more laughter. "Fufufufu, You won't escape this time!" The mansion shifted around us, turning even more decrepit and delicate. Alyal started slashing with her cleaver like mad, sending out even larger shock waves than before, destroying the mansion with them. The pieces of the mansion then were able to turn into homing danmaku which flew towards us at a decent speed. "Why can't a dead parrot just stay a dead parrot!" Youmu-sama declared intensely, a serious demeanor taking over her usual attitude. Alyal stopped her slashing, a green aura enveloping her cleaver. "TAKE THIS!" She yelled, sending her cleaver down quickly, slamming it onto the floor and a gigantic and powerful shock wave being sent towards the three of us. "Skill Card!" Iku declared quickly, dashing in front of us. "Veils Like Wind! LEVEL MAX!" She yelled, trying to repel the shock wave with all her might."Iku-chan!" I yelled, trying to approach her. "Stay back!" Iku-chan declared as she fought against the shock wave. "GYAAH!" She yelled, the shock wave overcoming her, smashing into the wall. "IKU-CHAN!" Yuyuko-sama and I yelled, dashing over to her quickly.

"Iku-chan..." I murmured, surveying the damage. She was knocked out cold, power level having reached 0. Her Skill Card did the trick though, having absorbed most of the damage to keep it from hitting us. "This can't go on any longer." Yuyuko-sama stated determinedly, her voice differing from the loftiness it usually holds. "Right. Let's finish this... Spell Card!" I declared, drawing out my one Spell Card. "Clear Skies: Unlimited Blade Works -Easy-!" The sky turned a dark orange, as countless blades start to cover the space behind me. "I am the bone of my sword," I started to chant, making the blades appear more frequently and with greater power, Yuyuko-sama getting Iku and herself out of harms way. "Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.." I released the chant, unable to add any more power at my current level. Which isn't very high. The hundrads of blades sliced towards Alyal as they sliced and disappeared into countless bullets that absolutely decimated the screen. "T-This isn't happening! No! Sisters... SISTERS! WHERE ARE YOU!" Alyal stopped moving, her body fading away just like Layla's, her eyes finally unclouded from her insanity. "Tasu... kete... Onee... Chan..."

**BGM: The Silence (Komeiji Records)**

It was silent for a moment as the breeze stopped blowing. "Did... We do it?" I asked hesitantly. "Remembering the melancholy of human existence. Even ghosts stray from the past of righteousness." Yuyuko-sama said in a monotone voice. The breeze picked up wildly, as the Saigyou Ayakashi bloomed, the forms of Layla and Alyal appeared. "! What are you doing-" I started to remark before Yuyuko-sama cut me off. "Look... It's the Saigyou Ayakashi controlling them..."  
"The tree's the villain!?"

"This time..." The two ghosts said, their voices hollow and mixed as one. "We'll drive all of your spirit out of you..." A Spell Card floated in the air, activating as they declared the Spell Card in monotone. "Spell Card. Revival: Ravaging Ghosts." A wave of bullets erupted as phantoms exploded all around us into a meteor of danmaku. Lasers shot out from all sides, and erupted also into more danmaku. "Eeyah!" I screamed, as I got hit by a laser, slamming into the invisible wall yet again. _Damn! Power level... 0.00/5.00 _I looked up weakly too see Yuyuko-sama standing in the middle of the pattern, deflecting each shot with her fan. "I'm fed up with you. First you mess with me and now these two tortured souls? This time, I'll make sure you'll sealed permanently!" Yuyuko-sama declared furiously. "Y-Yuyuko-sama" Youmu said weakly. "You have delivered havoc upon the Netherworld, and it's my duty to get rid of you! But most importantly... You've hurt my friends, and that isn't something that I will forgive so easily!"

"Yuyuko-chan..."

"Last Word! Saigyouji Flawless Nirvana!" That was Yuyuko-sama's ultimate move, her "death". Lasers flew around, before landing in a fixed position, seperating the field into ten slices. Her fan opened up wide above her, as the cherry blossoms flew around wildly. Waves of butterflies flew out, surrounding all of Yuyuko and going forward in separate lines, layering the field and acting like butterfly lasers.. A wave of red spirits soon followed, flowing out quicker than the butterflies. It was indeed a flawless nirvana of death and chaos. Their pattern was interrupted, the field becoming clear of all bullets. "Yuyuko-sama!" I call out, noticing the backlash from the Spell Card taking effect. I see a blur of movement from the corner of my eye moving towards the Saigyou Ayakashi. A myriad of slashes left it's mark on Alyal and Layla, as they fell down to the ground, there health totally depleted. "Youmu!" I called out, surprised. There stood Youmu, having recovered from Alyal's attack, standing victorious over them. "If there is something I can't make clear, I try cutting it!" Iku-chan approached slowly, dusting herself off. "Good job, everyone."

* * *

**INTERLUDE: Alyal and Layla**

Alyal's POV

"You're wrong... I refuse to believe you! I. Will. Kill. YOU!" I screamed at the trespassers, cackling madly as I dashed towards them, the trespassers already falling unconscious. "Stop right there, evil spirit!" I spun around towards the entrance. "Who is it this time!" There stood a woman in a police uniform, with short green hair and blue eyes. "I am Iki Amay, a policewoman, and resident exorcist!" I laughed, glaring at Iki. "An exorcist?! You think a measly exorcist such as you will be able to defeat me!? You're 94 years too late!" I shrieked, jumping towards her. "I wouldn't be so sure! Evil Spirit, begone!" She yelled, throwing some prayer slips at me. "GAH!" I yelled, feeling pain from where they hit. "W-what's this!?"

"These prayer slips are meant to banish you to the Netherworld! You're finished spirit!" I could feel myself being forced out of the possessed girl's body. "This is..." I muttered, recognizing the energy signature. "The power of a yama?!" My eyes widened, realizing why it was affecting me. "Damn you... I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you! ONCE I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU'LL BE DEAD!"  
"Sorry," The woman said, grabbing the trespassers and exiting my mansion, "You'll already be dead." "Kuh..." I muttered as I felt myself losing consciousness.

"Wake up! Please, wake up!" I heard a voice say near me. I opened my eyes suddenly, positioning myself upright. "Where... Where am I?" I muttered, looking around where I woke up. "You're in the Netherworld, though that's not important. What is important however, is why there's a girl who looks just like me sitting in front of me!" I turned around to where the voice was coming from. "O-Onee-chan!?" I exclaimed, staring at the girl in front of me. The girl had green eyes and long wavy green hair, with a black headband with bows at the end. She also was an exact copy of myself, only with green hair instead of purple hair. "Sorry, I'm not your sister. I am Layla Prismriver, the Ghostly Girl of the Ruined Western Mansion."  
"Alyal Monochrome, Young Mistress of the Abandoned Western Mansion."

"Well well, looks like there's another copy of me in this world." All I saw was red after that comment. "Why you..." I muttered, drawing back my fist. "Take this!" I proclaimed, punching Layla and sending her crashing into the tree that was near us. "That's for ripping off MY look!" Layla got up, laughing a little to herself. "Now now, don't you have more important things to be doing than trying to kill me?"

"Well you're just one persistent ghost."

"Fufufufu. I've heard people say that I'm always calm."

"Everyone says that I'm pessimistic and insane."

"Well than, let's get onto more important matters. Alyal, will you help me bring back the dead?"

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me," Layla said sweetly, "Bring back the dead." I burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. "Bringing back the dead? As if!"  
"It isn't an insane idea. If I can just get the Saigyou Ayakashi to bloom..."

"Another astute observation from little miss calm over there."  
"If you can help me, maybe I can help you get back at whoever sent you here?"  
"And how do you know that?"

"It's not everyday a girl falls out of the sky, now is it?" I shook my head a little. "Well than, if you can help me kill these four people..." I muttered, describing the trespassers to Layla. "Well, I guess you're in luck. One of them will be arriving in Hakugyokurou."  
"Is that so? I said I would kill them, and now is my chance!"

"Don't be too hasty. After all, this is the Netherworld."

After that, Layla and I planned and plotted for the success of our plans. It was interesting watching Layla's reactions to my switches in and out of insane and sane. "Well than, I see InsaAlyal has vanished for now."  
"InsaAlyal?"  
"Insa is for insane."  
"Please... Don't call me that."

It was even more interesting watching all the strange things Layla does. "Again today I will go floating through the sky! All ghosts I will absorb them just like in a stir-fry! Gracious Cherry Blossom Tree that watches all the ghosts! At dinnertime I always show the tree my love!"

"OK, what was that?"  
"It was my victory song! Want to sing along?"  
"I'm fine thank you very much."

Time had passed before we even knew it. "Today is the day. That I will finally kill them!"

"Finally, my sisters will be revived."

"Fly off, you formless phantoms! Kill them now!"  
"Now, all we have to do is wait for them to come."  
"Let's go wait for them, Layla."  
"InsaAlyal is just ready to burst out."  
"I thought I said not to call me that!"

"Fufufu, nevertheless. Now, we wait."

* * *

**BGM: Mystic Oriental Dream ~ Ancient Temple (Ghostly Field Club)**

"Alyal..." We heard Layla mutter as we looked back at the two fallen ghosts. "Oh, so you still have some fight left in you?" Youmu challenged, going into her stance. "Youmu-chan, wait." Iku-chan muttered, holding her back. "After all this, I couldn't achieve my goal."

"Layla..."  
"Maybe, we should finally pass over?"  
"What?! But why?"

"I'm happy now, Alyal. Even if I couldn't bring my sisters back, you were always with me."

"Layla, you remind me of my older sister so much." We looked at Alyal, tears pouring out of her eyes. "Before the massacre at my mansion, we were always together, no matter what happened. And... She looked just like you."

"Alyal... Your sanity... It's back?"  
"Ha, guess I didn't even notice. Layla... let's go."  
"Yeah, let's finally move on." Layla said gently with a smile, her and Alyal's forms dissolving away into cherry blossoms for the final time.

We headed back to Hakugyokurou in silence, watching the moon go down slowly. Everyone left towards their rooms, retiring for the night. Everyone knew that we'd said a silent goodnight, even without having to speak the words. The next morning came as bright as always, leaving no hints of the insanity that had just occurred. "Miharu-chan." Iku greeted me, opening the door. "Today, we're leaving Hakugyokurou." I nodded, getting up from the bed. After getting ready, I met Iku-chan at the front door. "Are you ready to go, Miharu-chan?"  
"Yeah..." I murmured, looking back at Hakugyokurou. "Wait up!" I turned around towards the source of the voice. "Youmu?" I said in shock, "And Yuyuko-sama as well?"

"Come on, you didn't think you'd leave without us now, would you?"  
"After all this, I figured that we should come along too." I smiled at them both. "Yeah, come on guys. It's time to leave this joint."

**BGM: Beautiful Nature Sight (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

"So then, Youmu."  
"Yes, Yuyuko-sama?"  
"When is lunch?"  
"We just ate ten minutes ago!"

"Enough of this pointless chatter, let's just focus on getting to the Human Village!" Iku-chan snapped, glaring at the two ghosts. "Whatever you say, Ku-chan." Iku-chan sighed loudly before resuming walking ahead. We had been walking for a while now, not seeing much however except some trees, some more trees, and finally, some more trees. "Huh?" I muttered, stopping in the middle of the road. "Who's that?" I questioned pointing to a girl who was hidden by the trees, holding out two dowsing rods. We approached the girl to get a clearer view. The girl had gray hair with red eyes, and wore a brownish-black one-piece dress with pink sleeves and a gray cape. She also had a necklace with a crystal pendant on it, and mouse ears on her head and a mouse tail, which was carrying a basket with a mouse on it. "Where is it? I seem to have a treasure reading..." We hear her mutter softly. "What are you looking for?" Youmu asked, approaching the little girl. "Eeyah!" The girl said, jumping up in surprise. "A half-ghost? Why are you here?"

"We're just heading towards the Human Village, but if you want, we can help you search for what you're looking for." Iku-chan said quietly, the rest of us approaching the little mouse. "Umm, I'm sorry, but I'm searching for something special. I'm Nazrin by the way. The Simple Little Dowser General."

We all introduced ourselves to Nazrin, and quickly got into conversation. "So what are you looking for then, Nazrin-san?" I asked her. "Oh! I'm searching for the Jeweled Pagoda of Bishamonten. My master carelessly lost it, so she sent me out to find it."

"Why is this pagoda so important?" Youmu asked her, setting her swords against the tree. "The Jeweled Pagoda manifests my master's ability to bring wealth, so it's very important to my master."  
"And who is your master?"  
"Shou Toramaru, the discipline of Bishamonten. She was born as a tiger youkai, but after Byakuren made her the disciple Bishamonten, she had to hide the fact that she was a youkai from the humans. When Byakuren was sealed, she couldn't do anything unless the people were to find out that she was a youkai so we decided to unseal her-" Nazrin-san stopped mid sentence, realizing what she had revealed. "Never mind, forget I said anything!"

"Byakuren? Who is this Byakuren you speak of?"

"I said to just forget about it!"

"Is she a youkai?"  
"Byakuren is someone who is very dear to master! She always helped master, so don't speak ill about her!" Nazrin-san yelled at us before running away into the trees. "Wait a moment!" I called out after her. "She's gone..." I remarked, looking at where she left. "Well, we can't stay here very much longer. Let's just go to the Human Village."

**BGM: Shinkirou Orchestra (Touhou 13.5: HM)**

"Ah, here we are at last! The Human Village!"  
"Finally."

"Let's go find Keine-chan!" We had finally reached the sought after Human Village. The Human Village looked just like how a typical village would look, with nothing really special standing out. It had the air however of being both old and new, with older and newer buildings littering the streets. "Hey, isn't that Nitori-chan?" Youmu exclaimed, pointing to a girl standing at a fruit stall. "Yeah! Come on guys, let's go see if she knows where Keine-san is." Iku-chan declared. We approached the fruit stand briskly, maneuvering our way through the crowd. "Yeah, I've been able to communicate with the other humans more easily these days. " The girl said to the fruit stand owner. "That's good. Hello, how are you today?" He said to us, gesturing to the fruits on sale. "Does anything appeal to you?"

"Ah, no thanks. We're just here to talk to Nitori-chan."  
"In that case, I'll leave you be." The merchant said, returning to organizing his stand. "Oh, Yuyuko, Youmu, and Iku-chan. How are you today?"  
"We're fine, thank you very much Nitori-chan." Iku-chan addressed the girl. "That's good to know." The girl said, picking up her wrench from the counter. "And who's this you have with you?"  
"Miharu Amami, It's nice to meet you, Nitori-chan."

"Eek! A human!"I looked at the girl in question. She had blue hair and eyes, wears a blue dress with a bunch of pockets that were filled to the brim with different tools around the hem of the skirt and upper arm, and a dark aquamarine backpack with a golden key on the strap that went in front of her. She also was wearing a green hat, blue Wellington boots, and was carrying a wrench. "Well, since you're with them... I'm Nitori Kawashiro, The Aquatic Kappa Super Youkai Warhead Engineer Thinking by the Waterside." Nitori-chan introduced herself nervously, "Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about you guys?"

**BGM: Candid Friend (Touhou 10: MoF)**

We walked through the human village for a little before settling down on a wood bench. "So, why are you guys here at the Human Village?"  
"We were searching for Keine-chan. Do you know where she is?" Iku-chan answered Nitori-chan. "Sorry, haven't seen her lately. Maybe she went back to Eientei? Anyway, have you heard about the UFO incident that's happening?"  
"The UFO incident!?"  
"Oh? You know something about it, Miharu-chan?"  
"Yeah... Before I arrived in Gensokyo I saw a bunch of them."  
"Oh really? Myon-myon, what do you think of that?"  
"Well, let's just hear what Nitori-chan has to say about it."  
"Well, there's a rumor going around of a strange flying treasure ship. Earlier in the spring there was also a strange flying object that appeared, and people started calling it an Unidentified Fantastic Object. So, Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae are going to the rumored treasure ship to find treasure and unravel the mystery."  
"Have they gone already?" Youmu asked Nitori-chan eagerly. "No, they're going in a couple days actually. I'd say about a week or so?"  
"Hmm... What do you say we go before them then!"  
"Yuyuko-sama?"  
"I've always wanted to solve an incident like Miko-chan and Mahou-chan!"

"Yuyuko-sama..."  
"That sounds like an excellent idea, Yuyuko-chan."

"Umm, I wouldn't be too sure of that. I mean, why not let Reimu and the others deal with it? They're leaving soon anyway..."  
"I want revenge on them for beating me so many times during the Scarlet Weather Rhapsody incident!"

"Well if we are going to solve this incident, Iku-chan. We'll have to leave pretty soon."  
"Hmm, that's a good point, Miharu-chan. It was nice talking to you, Nitori-chan." Iku-chan said, getting up from the bench. "It was nice talking to you guys also." We all got off of the bench and said our goodbyes to Nitori-chan, before leaving the Human Village. "Next stop, the Bamboo Forest of the Lost!"

* * *

**Author's Note: OK, let me be honest, Miharu would be dead if it wasn't for the others shots killing off the enemies before they shoot too many bullets, or taking the hit for her. Also, I have the dialogue from KI:U stuck in my head, it's so funny! This chapter is pretty short, just finishing the Hakugyokurou arc and then just going to the Human Village. Here comes Nazrin and Nitori though! As you can probably figure out, this is taking place during Touhou 12: UFO. Next chapter will involve the IN characters mostly! There will be Wriggle, Mystia, Inaba, Eirin, Kaguya, Keine, Mokou, Tewi, the whole cast basically! So until then, thanks for reading and have a good day!**


	6. Bamboo Forest of the Lost

Disclaimer: I do not own Touhou, or anything referenced here.

* * *

**BGM: Song of the Night Sparrow ~ Night Bird (Touhou 8: IN)**

"Alright! Here we go!" I exclaim eagerly , running ahead of the rest of the group. "We're off to see Mrs, Keine, the wonderful Kamashirasawa!" Yuyuko-sama hummed happily, gliding behind me. We walked down the path quickly, the sky starting to turn dark. "Ok everyone!" Iku-chan announced, clapping her hands. "We'll be heading into the forest soon, make sure to not lose sight of each other. Most importantly, don't get lost!"  
"Now that would just be tragic." I responded, walking forward to touch the giant bamboo stalk. "This is it then, the Bamboo Forest of the Lost." Indeed, we had reached the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, and what a bamboo forest it was. Bamboo stretched for as far as you can see, reaching high up into the sky. "There isn't a clear path... Do we just head straight through?" I asked hesitantly. "Yep! Here we go!" Iku-chan exclaimed energetically, heading straight ahead into the bamboo. "Wait for us!" Youmu called after her, the rest of us quickly following Iku-chan inside.

"Geeze..." Youmu muttered, "It's been a while since we were last here. I forgot how large it is in here."  
"Well than," Yuyuko-sama said loudly, "It's time for a feast!"  
"Of what, Yuyuko-chan?"  
"Cooked sparrow!"  
"Again?" Youmu questioned with a large sigh, "Didn't you do that the last time we were here?"

"We don't have time for that, let's just continue on to Eintei!" Iku-chan declared crossly, picking up the pace. "I hope we don't run into any annoying bugs." I remarked, looking around at the dark forest. "Then again, it is almost 12:30 AM. I guess I wouldn't mind a firefly or two to light the path."  
"Unless they're annoying fireflies."

We continued our stroll through the forest, time ticking by slowly. "Well this is quite serene." I commented, looking around the silent forest. "Yeah, the last few times we've visited, the forest is full of fairies and familiars trying to kill us." Youmu said. "I do have to say however, that this is a nice change of pace." I chuckled a little as Iku-chan started to speak. "Don't get too cocky, Myon-Ghost."

"I wasn't planning on it, Lectro-Iku."  
"Now now, Ku-chan. I'm the only one who's allowed to tease Myon-Myon!"  
"Yuyuko-sama..."  
"PERSONA!"  
"Eeyah! What was that about, Miharu-chan?"  
"I don't know, I just felt like interrupting."  
"Well you certainly did a good job of that Haru-chan."  
"I grant you the random statement of the day reward."  
"Why thank you Iku-chan. I always try my hardest." Iku-chan burst out laughing at my remark. Soon after, everyone was laughing loudly.

"Ah, this is so peaceful." Yuyuko-sama hummed, closing her eyes. "Now if only I had a nice cooked sparrow and a lightning bug to go along."  
"I'm a firefly!"  
"And it isn't nice to want someone eaten!"  
"Oh look! It's the lightning bug and the sparrow!"  
"That's Wriggle Nightbug to you! A Swarm of Bright Bugs of Light Wriggling in the Dark!"  
"And it's Mystia Lorelei, Wonder of the Night Sparrow Youkai!" Two youkai flew into view, the firefly having blue eyes, short teal hair, antennae, and wearing a white shirt with stylized long sleeves, black cape with red on the inside, and knee-length blue baggy shorts. The sparrow youkai having gray eyes, pink hair, light pink sparrow wings with purple highlights, pointed owlish ears, wearing a white and brown dress and hat containing numerous bird-shaped ornaments. "Well, Yuyuko-sama did say she wanted a lightning bug..."  
"I TOLD YOU IT'S A FIREFLY!" I sighed at looked over at Yuyuko-sama. _EH? _ Yuyuko-sama was salivating, staring at Mystia longingly, likely fantasizing about a cooked sparrow. "No Yuyuko-sama! We're not having cooked sparrow!" Youmu practically screamed at Yuyuko-sama, brandishing her short sword around. "Move out of the way you two. We have business to deal with in Eintei." Iku-chan demanded, glaring at the two youkai. "Unless you want to fight." I muttered, grabbing the hilt of my sword. "I won't forgive you for insulting bugs!" Wriggle declared furiously. "If you want to fight, you'll have a fight!" Mystia finished, both of them preparing for battle.

**BGM: Stirring an Autumn Moon ~ Mooned Insect (Touhou 8: IN)**

"Let's start this off with a bang Mystia! Let's skip those stupid non-spells!"  
"You've got that correct, Wriggle! Let's end this quick!" Mystia and Wriggle flew at each other and twirled upwards. As they twirled they declared their Spell Cards. "Spell Card!" They both declared loudly. "Firefly Sign: Comet on Earth!"  
"Vocal Sign: Howl of Horned Owl!"

"Unison Spell Card! Choral Firefly Sign: The Comet Howls With the Owl on Earth!" Releasing from their twirl, they activated their Spell Cards. A whirlpool of danmaku spread out from Wriggle, totally surrounding her as the whirlpool spun, releasing larger danmaku in waves. Mystia sang into the night sky, creating waves of bullets that shot towards us in ripples, spreading out over time. "While we may be only Stage 1 and 2 bosses," Wriggle shouted, increasing the ferocity of her attack, "Together we should be at least a Stage 3 boss!"

"I really doubt that." Iku-chan stated, releasing her focus shot at Mystia. "Eeyah!" Mystia screamed, her wings getting scorched from the electricity. "Flying types are weak to electric!" I remarked loudly, Youmu looking at me strangely. "There's a time and place for Touhoumon, but it isn't now." Youmu remarked, focusing back on the battle. _Whoa, Youmu plays Touhoumon? Never mind, just focus on the battle me. _"Umm, I'll be the referee?"

"There aren't any referees in danmaku battles Miharu-chan! But if you insist... do your best to commentate the action!"

"Hai!" Dashing out of the invisible boundaries I prepared to start commentating on the battle. "Mystia is down! Vocal Sign: Howl of Horned Owl has been captured by Iku Nagae! All that's left now for Team SWR to beat Team IN for Round 1 is to capture Firefly Sign: Comet of Earth! With all the danmaku guarding Wriggle however, will they be able to get through before Time-out?" I watched as the others skillfully avoided Wriggle's pattern, able to move around easier without having to guard me. "This Spell Card," Youmu remarked, unleashing her Focus Shot and slicing clear through the bullets, "I could capture in my sleep!"

"Nice shot, Youmu!" I called out to the half ghost. "Thanks! It was nothing."

"With a skillful capturing of Wriggle's Spell Card by Youmu Konpaku, the point goes to Team SWR! Time for Round 2! What will be pulled out this time?"

"That was just a lucky shot!" Mystia shouted furiously. "Take these Spell Cards on for size!"

"Spell Card!"  
"Lamp Sign: Firefly Phenomenon!"  
"Deadly Toxin: Poisonous Moth's Dance in the Dark!"

"Unison Spell Card! Deadly Toxic Lamp: Poisonous Firefly's Phenomenon in the Dark!" Wriggle's Spell Card unleashed a dense barrage of danmaku with a decent amount of scatter and range and heavy density near Wriggle herself. Mystia's Spell Card summoned her familiars which raced diagonally towards her, unleashing a wave of danmaku from their path Mystia herself unleashed a circle of spread danmaku. The others dodged the danmaku with relative ease, finding gaps quickly and grazing when they could. "Take this on!" Mystia shouted, unleashing a straight line of danmaku towards them while Wriggle did the same with more wide-spread danmaku. "Side-dash Focus Shot!" Yuyuko-sama called out, dashing in a glide to the side while firing her focus shot. The homing butterflies flew towards Wriggle at a higher speed, amplified by the side-dash, and hitting Wriggle directly. "Spell Card capture complete! Unison Spell Card is no longer unified! Strike Mystia while she's not as protected!" I call out, noticing the gap in her defenses. "Got it!" Youmu called out, already dashing towards Mystia while still dodging all the bullets. "Don't come any closer you!" Mystia sang, firing her danmaku straight at Youmu. "This is even easier than Icicle Fall!" That comment made Mystia stop in her tracks, her danmaku disappearing. "W-why you! How dare you compare my Spell Card to-" Mystia let out a oomph as she got hit straight on by Youmu's focus shot. "And that, Yuyuko-sama, is how you kill a sparrow."

"With another capture by Youmu Konpaku, the point goes to Team SWR! The points are 2-0, Team SWR! So far, Youmu's captured two spell cards, Yuyuko-sama one, and Iku-chan one also. Time for Round 3!"

"How... HOW DARE YOU!" Mystia practically yelled into their faces. "I'll show you that I am stronger than that marukyuu!"

"You dare insult our intelligence?!"  
"Umm, yes."

"..."  
"Well, it is true. Isn't it, Yuyuko-sama?"  
"Of course Myon-myon. Now can we just get on with the feast?"  
"Maybe we should just finish this right now... I mean, they're struck speechless." Shaking their heads, Wriggle and Mystia draw out their third Spell Cards. "Spell Card!"

"Wriggle Sign: Nightbug Tornado!"

"Hawk Sign: Ill-Starred Dive!"

"Unison Spell Card! Wriggle Hawk Sign: Ill-starred Tornado!" They declared their newest Spell Card loudly, holding them up high into the sky. "Prepare for the darkness!" Mystia called out, her Spell Card glowing along with Wriggle's. "Be blinded by the great light!" Wriggle declared as the Spell Card was unleashed. "Huh!?" Mystia exclaimed, her danmaku moving slowly. "What's wrong!?" Wriggle exclaimed also, her danmaku just lightly turning at a snail's pace. "W-wait!"  
"Mystia, we have a problem."  
"My darkness... Cancels out your light..."  
"Well this is problematic."  
"Yeah, we should probably look out for the focus... shots." Mystia and Wriggle looked sideways to see Youmu, Yuyuko-sama, and Iku-chan right above them with their focus shots at the ready. "Oh bugger," Wriggle started to say before being blasted off by everyone, along with Mystia. "A crushing victory! The point goes to Team SWR. Next is Round-"  
"We get it Miharu, you can stop commentating now!"

"Oh... Ok then..."

"Wriggle!" Mystia called out to her friend. "Uugh..." Wriggle groaned weakly, not getting up.

"Why do I have to take care of everything myself!?" Mystia sighed, drawing out her Spell Card. "Witness my true power... Spell Card! Night Blindness: Song of the Night Sparrow!"  
"Here we go again..." Youmu muttered, closing her eyes. "Huh!?" I exclaimed, watching the darkness grow. "I can't see anything outside of 2 feet around me!"

"That's the point, you idiot!" _I'm not an idiot... _"Take this!" I couldn't tell much of what happened, only that Mystia had unleashed a large barrage of danmaku upon the others. All I could do was sit and wait for the outcome. Soon enough, the Spell Card had finished, the darkness disappearing. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, seeing the fading danmaku. The danmaku were closing in on the others, weaving through and out of each other. "Well... I'm glad I wasn't it there..." I murmured, thinking about what would've happened in there. _I... Am really weak, aren't I... _"Well now, that was pitiful." Iku-chan stated, walking towards where Mystia had fallen. "WAIT!" Youmu called out after Iku-chan, pulling her backwards. Just in time also, for right where she was right then, Wriggle and Mystia had appeared. "This is the last straw!"  
"You didn't even bomb! Gah, that makes me so mad!"  
"TAKE THIS ON FOR SIZE!" They yelled together, drawing out their last resort.

**BGM: Deaf to All But The Song (Touhou 8: IN)**

"Last Word!"  
"Hidden Bug: Hermit of an Endless Night!"  
"Night Sparrow: Midnight Chorus Master!"  
"Last Unison! Midnight Hermit of an Endless Master! This time, we've worked out the kinks!"

"Ah! The darkness covers one half while the light covers the other!" I exclaim, looking at Wriggle. Wriggle unleashed her danmaku, spiraling out like a whirlwind before turning into waves of danmaku that flew outwards from Wriggle quickly. Mystia once again had her side of the field covered by the darkness, this time in an even smaller radius of light. "Be careful..." I murmured, watching from the side lines.

* * *

Youmu POV

"Yuyuko-sama!" I call out, looking around at the darkness. "My song creates confusion for all! You're deaf to all but my song!"

"Tch, Mystia..." I growled, readying for her Last Word.

_Please don't call my name anymore, I'm scared._

Mystia began to sing, the danmaku beginning to start, striking forward quickly in a wave of blue danmaku.

_kowareta tokei no hari_

_anata ni mou todokanai_

_kono mune wa harisaketeshimaisou _

_So I cry_

The danmaku poured out, scattering a little, moving at a decent pace along.

_aa yoru no tobari e tsutau  
kurayami ni tozasareta  
kono omoi wo hibikasete  
imasugu ni aitakute  
kurushikute_

_Senses fail_

'Here it comes.' I thought, making a micro graze against the second wave of blue danmaku.

_nageki no iro hibiku yoru ni (In this night)  
kono uta ga kareru made  
(My voices are still resounding along)  
negau no nara todoku no nara utau yo_

_(In this night _

_Please don't let them fade away)_

_nee kikoeru desho_

My mind was getting clouded as I found it continuously harder to focus on the danmaku as the song kept going.

_Can you hear me I'm singing for you  
Still my voices are around  
Can you hear me I'm singing for you  
Please don't let them fade away_

The confusion drawn from Mystia's song kept increasing. I could barely focus on the danmaku, taking wider gaps in order to go through the danmaku.

_(This song is my everything_

_So please share with me or I'll fade away)_

'Yuyuko-sama...' I wondered about how Yuyuko-sama was doing, the danmaku piling up heavily in my line of vision.

_Can you hear me I'm singing for you  
Still my voices are around  
Please, or I'll fade away_

The danmaku was getting closer to hitting me as my mind became even more clouded with fog.

_yasashii ame ga watashi ni katarikaketeru  
koboreru namida sotto nuguu no_

'This... should be the last few verses, right?' Barely focusing on Mystia, I sent my ghost half, Myon, ahead of me to attack Mystia. 'Be safe, other me.'

_motomeru ai sasagu yoru ni (In this night)  
kono kizu ga ieru made_

_(My voices are still resounding around)  
chikau no nara kanau no nara utau yo_

_(In this night please don't let them fade away)  
nee soba ni ite yo (Fade away)  
zutto (For you)_

As the song ended, the confusion and danmaku cleared slowly, revealing Yuyuko-sama standing near Mystia and Iku-chan near Wriggle, having captured their Spell Cards. "It was a beautiful song, Mystia.

* * *

**BGM: Swing a Fish to Drive Away Flies (Touhou 10.5: SWR)**

"OK, now that they're out of the way," Iku-chan stated, moving the two fallen girls to the side. "Let's continue on. We lost precious time fighting them. Let's just continue on to Keine-chan." I nodded, feeling kind of useless after the previous battle. "Well then, it's 1 AM now. What do people say that we have a meal!" Yuyuko-sama stated cheerfully. "No Yuyuko-sama, we're not having cooked sparrow." Youmu stated, tapping her foot against the ground. "But You-"  
"NO!"

"Why don't we settle for some s'mores or something?" I remarked, bringing out some graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars. "S'mores? First of all, what's a s'more, and second of all, where were you keeping all that food?!"

"In my school bag. You know, the bag that I was carrying?"  
"We... never noticed it."  
"Well I did leave it in my room at Hakugyokurou most of the time."  
"How did we not notice this before..." I shook my head, smiling a little. I never really brought up my school bag in conversation, I hadn't even realized I had it until reaching Hakugyokurou. It was a handy place to store my COMP, so I didn't question it. "So, want any s'mores?"

"OK guys, let's get this campfire ready!' Iku-chan exclaimed, getting the fire ready. "OK, so who wants to light the-" i stared at where Iku-chan was, looking at the already burning fire. "I guess that works..." I mutter, getting ready the marshmallows. "Time to roast the marshmallows!" Yuyuko-sama exclaimed, grabbing the skewer and immediately starting to roast them. "Huh?" I say dumbly, looking at the now stolen marshmallows. "Hey! Yuyuko-sama!"  
"Graham cracker, graham cracker, chocolate bar! Sitting round the camp fire under the stars. Just roasting marshmallows, marshmallows sticky and sweet.

Put them all together and you got a treat!" Yuyuko-sama started to sing, waving her head side to side. "That's yummy." Youmu added, smiling at Yuyuko-sama. "Graham cracker, graham cracker, chocolate bar. Sitting round the camp fire under the stars. Just roasting marshmallows, marshmallows sticky and sweet. Put them all together and you got a treat!" I added in, moving my head along also. "Graham cracker, graham cracker, triple stacker, triple stacker." Youmu sung, smiling widely. "Chocolate bar." Iku-chan joined in, noticing our singing. "I've got them in my bag." I stated, getting some more out. "Marshmallow, marshmallow, here's a whole bag."

"What are we waiting for?" Iku-chan exclaimed, everyone getting ready for the last few verses. "Let's make some more. Graham cracker, graham cracker, chocolate bar. Sitting round the camp fire under the stars. Just roasting marshmallows, marshmallows sticky and sweet. Put them all together and you got a treat!"  
"We're singing!"  
"Graham cracker, graham cracker, chocolate bar. Sitting round the camp fire under the stars. Just roasting marshmallows, marshmallows sticky and sweet. Put them all together and you got a treat. Put them all together and you got a treat!" We all laughed, looking up at the sky above us.

**BGM: Cinderella Cage ~ Kagome Kagome (Touhou 8: IN)**

"OK everyone, let's finally go to Keine-chan's place!"  
"Here we go again."  
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad traveling with us, can it?"  
"Of course not, it's just that we've been walking forever, Yuyuko-sama!"  
"And the marshmallow song didn't help?"  
"No Yuyuko-sama. No it didn't."  
"Aww, but I like the marshmallow song."  
"Stop complaining and start walking you two!"  
"Well Iku-chan's mad today."  
"Ah, I'm sure it's just stress Youmu."  
"Indeed Myon-Myon. Ku-chan must be very stressed, I mean, who wouldn't be being a oarfish out of water?"  
"Ha ha, well she is a oarfish youkai."  
"Ah, now I remember! So is that why Iku-chan can sense earthquakes?"  
"And why do you think, Miharu?"  
"Yeah, tell us Haru-chan!"  
"Well, its common folklore for the oarfish to be able to sense earthquakes!"  
"You mean the real fish!?"  
"Yeah Youmu, the real fish! Though I have heard that a oarfish also tastes like gelatinous goo."  
"Eww! I doubt even Yuyuko-sama would eat that!"  
"I eaten many things, but never a oarfish before."

"DON'T TALK ABOUT ME LIKE I'M A FOOD!"

"Geeze Iku-chan, you still mad about that?"  
"No, I'm annoyed!" Last time I checked that was basically the same thing... I looked up at the stars shining brightly from above. "Don't you feel like we were just here?" I ask, feeling a sense of deja vu. "Hmm, the time is about 3 Am..." I sighed loudly. That didn't answer my question... "At this rate, I'm inclined to think that we're lost." I grumbled, glaring at the bamboo. "Maybe we'll be there soon?" Youmu remarked uncertainly, tilting her head to the side. "Thanks for the support, but that didn't help."

"Oh, sorry Miharu."  
"Maybe some certain moon rabbits are playing some tricks on us." Yuyuko-sama stated, looking up at the moon. "Wait, there really are rabbits on the moon!?"  
"Of course there are! Why else would people say they see a rabbit on the moon Haru-chan!"  
"Maybe because of the crater-"  
"Nope! Definitely the moon rabbits!"  
"If you say so..."

"Speaking of rabbits..." Iku-chan stated, pointing towards a clump of bamboo. "Get over here Usagi!"  
"Don't call me Usagi!" A voice exclaims, leaping out of the bamboo. "My name is Reisen Udongein Inaba, the Lunatic Moon Rabbit Youkai with the Red Eyes of Madness!" A girl with red eyes and long light-purple hair appeared, fuming at Iku-chan. She had long rumpled rabbit ears and wore a short sleeve white shirt with a red necktie, red belt, and blue skirt. "Ah! Reisen!" Youmu called out eagerly, greeting the newcomer. "Youmu? Iku-san? Yuyuko-chan!? What are you guys doing here!?"  
"We're off to find Keine-chan, Inaba-san."  
"Oh, and why's that, Iku-chan?"  
"Ah, so I can learn about danmaku from her." I said, stepping forward to meet Reisen-san. "Miharu Amami. Nice to meet you, Reisen-san."  
"A human? Well, it's nice to meet you too."

"So why are you out here, Usagi-chan?"  
"It's Reisen! Anyway, I was just searching for supplies for Eirin-sama."  
"Hey Reisen," Youmu spoke up,"Do you think we could stay at Eintei for a little while?"  
"Huh!? Well, I guess Eirin-sama would say so..."  
"Great! Well than, let's go!"  
"Huh!? But.. Okay... Follow me." Reisen-san mumbled, leaping off through the bamboo.

We followed Reisen-san through the forest as the sun rose ever so slowly. "Well, here we are. Eintei."

"Whoa..." Was all I could say, looking upon the humongous mansion that was Eintei. Eintei was a huge old Japanese style mansion, with hallways that seemed to reach the edge of space. "Ah! Rabbits!" Yuyuko-sama shouts out, chasing after a few rabbit youkai. "Yuyuko-sama, come back!" Iku-chan chuckled a little, stopping when she noticed a figure approaching. "Ah, Eirin-chan. How are you doing today?"  
"Quite fine thank you."

"Oh, a human? Do you come from the Human Village?"  
"Oh, no. I'm Miharu Amami. I come from outside Gensokyo."  
"Oh really? I am Eirin Yagokoro, Town and Hourai Pharmacist of the Moon." Eirin has dark grey eyes, long silver hair, a large braid on her back, and is carrying a strange pair of bow and arrow. Her clothing is red and blue, and covered with constellation patterns. She's also wearing something similar to a nurse's cap. "So what brings all of you to Eintei this fine morning?"

**BGM: Eternal Night Vignette ~ Eastern Night (Touhou 8: IN)**

"Kaguya, we have guests!" Eirin called out into the large mansion. "Oh really!? Let me just finish beating the Extra Stage in IN and then I'll be right there." We heard a voice call out from the mansion. A few moments later we heard, "GAH! STOP KILLING ME MOKOU!" We all sweat dropped as we watched a black-haired girl pound her head against the desk in frustration. "Again... ONE DAY I'LL BEAT YOU!" She yelled at the screen, the screen showing GAME OVER in bright letters. "So," She started to say, turning around in her chair, "Oh. It's you two again! How are you two today?"

"Ah, we're fine thank you very much." Youmu responded. "So the NEET still fails at killing Mokou?"

"I swear I will kill her one day!"  
"Keep telling yourself that..." Iku mutters under her breath. "Oh? Who are you two?"  
"Iku Nagae, the Beautiful Scarlet Cloth."  
"Miharu Amami."  
"IT's nice to meet you! I'm Kaguya Houraisen, The Inhuman and Eternal Princess of the Instantaneous. Nice to meet you both!" Kaguya has dark brown eyes, very long black hair in a hime cut style, wears a pink shirt with many white bows, and a long, dark burgundy skirt decorated in yellow with bamboo and flower shapes. "So what brings all of you to Eintei?"

"Ah, so you're looking for Keine-chan?" Eirin speaks up as Reisen delivers some tea. "Yeah, do you know where she might be?"  
"Ah, Keine-chan?" Kaguya spoke up, "She's probably with Mokou somewhere."  
"I see..." Iku-chan trailed off. "So," I spoke up, asking Kaguya a question, "Why do you want to kill this Mokou person?" Youmu gasped a little off to the side, her face saying 'You shouldn't have brought it up!' "Oh? Why do you want to know such a thing?" Eirin asked, sipping her tea. "I was just curious." I responded, also taking a sip. Eirin put down her cup gently. "In that case, let me tell you a story from long ago."

* * *

**BGM: Crimson in the Black Sea ~ Legendary Fish (Touhou 10.5: SWR OST Arrange Disk)**

TO: Miharu-chan

SBJ: YAHOO! It's Gensokyo Time!

Whoa there Miharu-chan! I heard all that happened from Maribel! That is just... WOW! I can't believe that you're actually in Gensokyo! And you've met all these youkai? Outstanding! XD I've heard you're traveling with some ghosts? GHOSTS! Who'da thunk? You HAVE to bring us sometime, that is if you ever get back here. :P CU!

Renko

TO: Renko-chan

SBJ: Bamboo Forest of the Lost

Well you're quite energetic today my friend! So much has been going on, I haven't had the chance to reply to any of your emails. You remember that crazy ghost from before? Alyal? Yeah, she showed up again and tried to kill me. *Sweatdrop* She finally passed on though. Also, could you research something for me? Could you research Layla Prismriver and Alyal Monochrome? I know that the issue has long since been solved, but there's something off. I mean, after meeting Alyal I end up in Gensokyo, and then Alyal ends up in Gensokyo and meets her doppelgänger? It seems too coincidental. As I promised, here's a document with some more details. Until then, Ja Ne!

Miharu

* * *

**BGM: Evening Primrose (Touhou 8: IN)**

** "**Over a thousand years ago, Kaguya used the forbidden Hourai Elixir to make herself immortal and was exiled to Earth. Upon arrival, she stumbled upon a bamboo cutter and dwelt among the humans she had once despised. Though the Lunarians, the people living on the moon, looked upon humans with contempt, Kaguya came to love her new home. Tales of her unearthly beauty led men from all across the land to seek her hand in marriage, and Fujiwara no Mokou's father was one of them. To have her hand in marriage, they had to complete the five impossible tasks, but no one was able to.

The first was to bring her the stone begging bowl of the Buddha from India. The second was to retrieve a jeweled branch from the island of Mount Hourai. The third was to seek the legendary robe of the fire-rat of China. The fourth was to retrieve a colored jewel from a dragon's neck. The final task was to find the legendary Cowry treasure of the swallows. However, these treasures were already in Kaguya's possession. Mokou hates Kaguya for humiliating her father, and continues her feud with Kaguya, knowing that she will never be able to get her revenge while at the same time, Kaguya can never put a permanent end to her."  
"How did Mokou become immortal?"

"Mokou followed a group of soldiers led by a man named Iwakasa in secret up what is now Mt. Fuji. They were carrying a jar which was said to be something very important to Kaguya, so Mokou plotted to steal from them for herself. However, it was difficult for Mokou to climb the mountain alone, and Iwakasa had already realized she was there. In the end, they reached the summit as one group.

Once they reached the summit, Mokou discovered that the group of soldiers planned to fling the jar into the volcano to destroy it, on orders from the current emperor of Japan. As they were about to throw it in, Sakuyahime appeared and warned them that Mt. Fuji's volcanic activities would restart should they do so. She explained to them that it was in fact the Hourai Elixir, the elixir of immortality. The soldiers tried to light the jar on fire, but Sakuyahime's powers prevented it. What happened after is unclear; Mokou said she believes that Sakuyahime started killing all of the soldiers during their night watches. Iwakasa asked Sakuyahime if there is any other mountain even higher. Replying that there was,he and Mokou descend back down the mountain.

Finally, possessed by the desire for immortality, she stole the jar from Iwakasa and consumed it, thus becoming immortal. Eventually she and Kaguya met up, and so started the war of the two immortals."

"Well that's a long back story. I have to feel bad for Mokou though. I mean, her father was humiliated." I admit, taking another sip of tea. "It was his fault for taking the tasks in the first place!" Kaguya declares, eyes flashing. "Yeah, but you already had the items in your possession, so no one would ever have a chance." I retort, having a glaring contest with Kaguya. "It's not my fault that he decided to take the tasks and fail!"

"It's not his fault that you made the tasks impossible to beat!"

"It's not my fault I had to make them impossible to begin with!"

"Kaguya! Calm down!"

"Don't provoke her Miharu!"

"SHUT UP!" Kaguya yells, everything going silent. "Do you think I wanted everyone's proposal? Do you think that I wanted someone to actually complete the tasks, get my hand in marriage, and find out I'm immortal? That they'll eventually die while I live on?"

"Kaguya..." Yuyuko-sama muttered as Kaguya got up and left, closing the door to her room with a bang.

**BGM: Eternal Dream ~ Mystic Maple (Touhou 8: IN)**

The room was silent after that, no one bothering to speak. "I'm sorry you had to see that." Eirin finally said, looking at the closed door. "Kaguya is usually very nice."  
"No... It's my fault for bringing it up." I mutter, feeling ashamed. "No, it's fine. Kaguya will be better as soon as she fights Mokou."  
"Eirin... Who do you think is correct?"  
"Kaguya will always be my friend, but do I totally support her? No."  
"So are you on-"  
"I'm not on either side of the argument. Kaguya has her reason, but so does Mokou."

"... If Kaguya truly feels that way, why doesn't she talk to Mokou about it?"

"Maybe," Youmu spoke up, "They're fights are no longer for their original purpose."  
"What do you mean Youmu-chan?" Iku spoke up, questioning Youmu. "Think about it. They're immortal, right? So eventually, everyone they love will fade away leaving only them and the other immortals, such as you Eirin."  
"So are you saying they're fighting to repel the loneliness of being immortal?"

"Who knows... These are only one person's thoughts after all..."

* * *

**Author's Note: OK, we've reached Eintei! Yahoo! Anyway, I know that Kaguya may seem OOC, but in canon she is actually sociable and nice, so I tried mixing that personality with the fanon one. The NEET personality. :P I really don't know what side of the Kaguya vs. Mokou I'm on, 'cause Kaguya's nostalgic to me and Mokou has a reason, so I don't really side with either of them. I put my opinions onto the board here with Kaguya's little rant and Youmu's dialogue at the end, but who knows. This is the musical special chapter I guess? I mean, Mystia's song with the marshmallow song from Veggie Tales. Yes, I'm serious. I just was searching for a marshmallow song and I found it. Odd huh? Mystia's Song is In a Night When Her Sorrow Resounds Around, by Foreground Eclipse. Umm, that's all I have to say really, so until next time, have a nice day! Oh, and thanks to everyone who's reading! Bye!**


	7. Not the Full Chapter Chapter: Danmaku

Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou.

**VERY IMPORTANT!**

**This isn't the full chapter, obviously. Well, it's kind of sad to say this, but I haven't worked on this for a while because of some other stuff happening. And then I got distracted by the Persona 3 Movie that came out Yesterday in theaters in Japan... So I was kind of making some P3 fanfics that I'm not posting for personal reasons and as such, I haven't really worked on this much. Yeah... But instead of just posting a boring AN here, here's part of the chapter I guess? I WILL get back to actually writing this soon, just this chapter is going to be hard to write... I'm better at having an already established plot and then just tweaking things, so until I reach the UFO part, it will be some slow updates. Sorry about that. I'm better at writing character interactions through dialogue I think is also part of the problem. As you probably noticed, these chapters are kind of dialogue heavy, so I've been working on that. Anyway, until I actually finish this chapter, here's the unfinished chapter!**

* * *

**BGM: Voyage 1969**

A day had passed since the incident with Kaguya. She was back to normal though by the time I woke up, happily playing IN. "Ah, Miharu-chan." Iku-chan called from the room next to mine. "Iku-chan, good morning."  
"You too. Are Youmu and Yuyuko up?"  
"I haven't seen them recently. Maybe Youmu's in the kitchen?"  
"Hmmm... Tell them we're leaving at 2 if you see them."  
"Already!?"  
"We need to hurry if we're going to solve that UFO incident."  
"UFO?" Kaguya called from her study, busily moving her character. "I have UFO. I hate Shou's curvy lasers though. They're so frustrating!"  
"Shou? Toramaru?"

"That's her alright. Turns out that she was just trying to unseal Byakuren Hijiri with the pagoda that Nazrin was trying to find. Then you show up and try to beat Byakuren for some random reason. It's a hard, but fun game." I shared a look with Iku-chan. We both thought the same thing. _How does she have a game that predicts the future? _

"Ah, Haru-chan! It's nice to see you up and awake. After all, the early worm avoids the bird!"  
"Isn't it the early bird catches the worm?"  
"Same thing, same thing. So I heard we are leaving at 2."  
"Yeah... Do you think you know where Keine-san is?" I asked Yuyuko-sama, staring questioningly at her. She thought about it for a while, her hand going up in a declaration of 'aha' after a while. "I think I know just the place! But let's just talk about there when we get there." I nodded, walking towards the living room. "Oh, Miharu-san." Reisen-san greeted, pausing before resuming carrying a basket of oranges to the kitchen. "Ah, do you need any help Reisen-san?"  
"N-no! I'm fine, seriously! A thing like this is no problem!" She said sheepishly, moving towards the kitchen quicker than before. "Eeyah!" She screamed, tripping over the carpet, catching the oranges and falling to the ground with a loud noise. "Reisen-san!" I called out, helping her up. "Thanks. Oh, are you looking for Youmu? She's over in the kitchen."  
"Thanks Reisen-san." I said, walking into the kitchen.

I took a moment to appreciate the smells coming from the food being prepared before walking over to Youmu. "Finished!" She remarked happily with a smile. "Hey Youmu." I greeted from behind her. "Ah! Miharu! Good morning."  
"Good morning. Anyway, have you heard?"  
"Yeah... It's a shame we have such a time limit. It's very nice here in Eintei. I wouldn't mind staying longer, but we have a deadline to make." I nodded in agreement as the door opened behind us. "Oh, Miharu-san and Youmu." Eirin greeted as she entered the kitchen. "Good morning Eirin."

"I heard that you're leaving soon."  
"Yeah... We're leaving at 2."  
"I see... You should have something to eat before you go. Meet up in the living room at 12:30, okay?" She said, leaving the kitchen. "O-okay..." I called after her, trailing off at the end.

* * *

"Miharu-san." Reisen-san greeted as I walked into the living room. "Please have a seat." I sat down next to Youmu as we waited for the others to arrive. "So we're going to Keine-san's soon."  
"Yeah. You better prepare for some more wandering through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost though."  
"After all that's happened, I think I'm used to it by now."  
"Ha ha, that's true. Oh, Yuyuko-sama!"

"Ah, so are you guys prepared? I know I am!"  
"Yeah, it's so exciting traveling so much."  
"Did you travel much at home Miharu?"  
"Ah, no. I didn't have the money to travel anywhere."  
"You need money to travel? We can travel almost anywhere for free, though we have to fight off any youkai so it's not safe for the humans."  
"That's the purpose of the Human Village!"  
"You know, I'm surprised we actually found it."  
"Oh, and why's that Youmu?"  
"Usually Keine hides the history of the village so that youkai can't find it."  
"Is that so... I wonder why it wasn't hidden then. Oh hey Iku-chan!" Iku-chan nodded, taking a seat to my right.

"Okay everyone. Reisen, could you get the food?" Eirin asked her, Reisen-san moving towards the kitchen. "It's been a pleasure having you in Eintei. We wish you a peaceful journey to Keine's place. For now however, let's have a feast." Reisen-san entered in, carrying a whole bunch of food in her arms, some of the rabbits helping her. "Tewi, could you place that in the center?"  
"Yeah, here you go!" A black-haired rabbit exclaimed, putting down the sukiyaki in the middle of the large table. After a while, the whole table was filled with delicious looking food. "Itadakimasu!" We all said before digging into the food.

**BGM: Extend Ash ~ Hourai Victim**

We all said our goodbyes to each other before leaving to find Keine-san. I couldn't help but feel disappointed as we left Eintei. _I wish we could've stayed a little longer. It would've been nice to know the people living there better. _We continued through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, luckily not running into much trouble on the way. "Ah, the weather's so nice. What more could we ask for, eh Haru-chan?"

"We could ask for us to be magically transported to Keine-san's place."  
"Ha ha, that's true, that's true. But what fun would that be?"  
"I guess. Hey Youmu, what do you think of this situation?"  
"Well, I guess it's fun traveling to so many different places."  
"Yeah. Hey, what's your favorite place to be apart from Hakugyokurou?"  
"Hmm, that's an interesting question. Maybe the Palace of the Earth Spirits or the Sanzu River?"  
"I'd say Hakurei Shrine! That way we can have fun with Miko-chan!"

"Well then. What about you Iku-chan?"  
"Me? Well I guess I'd say the Dragon Palace."  
"Ah, I see. So... are we there yet?" I questioned. "..."

"Are we there yet?"

"..."  
"Are we there yet?"

"..."  
"Are we there yet?"

"..."  
"Are we there yet?"

"..."  
"Are we-"  
"NO WE ARE NOT THERE YET!" Iku-chan yelled at me, walking at a quicker pace. "... Are we there yet?"

"So here we are. Fujiwara no Mokou's house. Hopefully Keine will also be there." Iku-chan stated upon reaching another Japanese style house. "Mokou-san's house... So do we just enter?" I asked tentatively. "Maybe we should just knock on the door and hopefully someone wi-" Youmu broke off as a nearby bamboo stalk burst into flame. "Well, I can safely say we do not need to look for Mokou anymore!" Yuyuko-sama exclaimed happily. Iku-chan started to glide towards where the flames were coming from. "Well!? Let's go!"

**BGM: Reach for the Moon ~ Immortal Smoke**


	8. Aiyaa! Motivation Level Only 10 Percent!

Ah, my motivation level is really low for this story! I'm sorry, but I need a lot more time just to go over the story and think things through. I just really don't see thing going anywhere with what I have so far, so I need to think things through and fix some stuff. Like, I don't know, fleshing out the personalities better and using first person better? I mean, with first person you are looking at the world through the characters eyes, and you know their thoughts and view of what's happening! The way I'm writing in first person right now just doesn't seem well, first person. It has the thoughts included, yes, but I personally think it's kind of told in a bland tone. Now, I may be a little harsh on myself, but well, it's my own opinion. Anyway, I think that if I develop a defined personality for Miha-chan (my nickname for Miharu), that the narration will be more exciting. Also, I really need to edit my dialogue. It's just dialogue after dialogue, and then there's times where all the dialogue is crammed into one text block and it's just well, making me upset. I mean, seriously, we JUST learned how to format dialogue in school. Also, school! Stop interfering when I'm trying to write stuff! Anyhow, there's a lot of things that I want to change before continuing on. I think what's bringing down my motivation is basically the narration. I just don't like writing in this narrative tone, with the way I set up the narration from before. My writing style has drastically changed also, and so looking back on this... Well, it's a matter of evolution. I just need to gather what I have, edit, and plan before continuing. Though, if anyone wants to spring any ideas I'm always open for PMs... Ah! Not that I'm begging you to actually send me a PM, I'm just saying that they're appreciated. Another thing is that well, I've been taking a break from Touhou and well, my mind is more Hetalia based at this moment. Yeah... I've been writing Hetalia fanfics on my spare time, and no. I'm not posting them. Just for personal reasons. Anyhow, that's not the best sign ever. And the fact that well, I have so many story ideas in my head it's ridiculous! And I'm just like, "Oh, I should write this down. I don't want to forget it." Before you know it, I've already finished the prologue for the story. *Sweatdrop*

And then I want to actually WRITE that story and finish it, and then I can't focus on this one story because this NEW story has become fresh and exciting and it just makes me want to write more! And then I get ANOTHER idea in my head and the process repeats. Yeah. Also, social life gets in the way! I'm not saying I don't like to hang out with friends and do after school activities and all, but well, then I don't have time to write. And then I get distracted by reading other people's fanfictions and then basically going through all of the fanfics on one topic. For example, I literally just went through most of the DRRR! fanfictions section. You see, I don't have the greatest attention span. All in all, stuff that I'm passionate about I stay with for a long time, and stuff that I think is dull I procrastinate on! ...That sounds odd. Anyhow, what I'm trying to say (I think at least) is that this story is just not exciting for me to write, and as such, I have no motivation to move on until I go back and plan/fix stuff. So until I do all that (Which will probably take a VERY long time) consider this on Hiatus. So yeah... If you want to help or just want to talk you can drop a PM, and yeah... So umm, in the meantime check out my Tohomon Ordinary Days crossover while you wait? Until next time, have a good day!


End file.
